🔗 Share this article

Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."

His upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's art. He will guide the crowd through a role, demonstrating his mental process during performance. Even in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings

What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in youthful setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

The next challenge is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions 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 wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic

He also is interested in staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various ways.

Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has about ten years of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."