Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely characters and partnering. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process while performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, 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 lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just acting 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 Performance and Personal Partnership
He additionally favors presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "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 cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Image
On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
