In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract 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: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite 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 catalyst for good change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
His tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
The next endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging 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 filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and art.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
