Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and partnering. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive workflow while performance. Even in lighter ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Drivers and Creative Inspirations
His tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions 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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and art.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership
He additionally favors presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various levels.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
