Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while performance. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions
What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and art.
Intimate Performance and Private Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
