Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while performance. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "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 performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "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 afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is interesting, 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 filled with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and art.
Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets 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 audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched 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 favorite cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the response 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 relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
