In the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations
Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just pretending that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, music, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a child," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
