Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as mighty deities, yet often offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, especially the emotional 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 featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his mental process while execution. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel 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 obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming challenge is making his own dance works. 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 aims his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Partnership
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Image
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement 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 compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
