Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted annually, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his mental process while performance. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Creative Influences
His determination stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next challenge is making his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, 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 filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic
He additionally 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 audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
