🔗 Share this article

In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely roles and partnering. With fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

His next starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process during performance. Yet in more comedic works, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

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

Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences

His determination originated in early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just pretending 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 filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership

He additionally is interested in presenting 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 human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically paired on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind 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 precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various levels.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."