In the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. With fine traits 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 crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
His determination stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation 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.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions 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, compositions, and art.
Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership
He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past 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 created pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not typically paired on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has another ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
