Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. 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 dance maker once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Motivations and Creative Influences
His tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering 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 making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, but just acting that they’re not a thing 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 literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic
He also favors staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic physique. 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 explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
