In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely roles and partnering. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his mental process while performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Feelings
What about after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, 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 dance maker previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" 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, "organic movement has value." "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 loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic
He also favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be a bit focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
