Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. During performances, dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Even in more comedic ballets, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Game and Post-Performance Feelings
How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations
His tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
