Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely characters and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process during execution. Even in lighter ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and art.
Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps 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 Physical Image
On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the response 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 states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
