Within the quiet ambiance 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 limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. During performances, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely characters and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow during performance. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once observed 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 negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is compelling, 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 books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
