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 naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His upcoming featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel 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.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just acting that they’re not a reality 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, music, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Partnership
He additionally is interested in staging dance in more intimate 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 duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic 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 precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He probably has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
