🔗 Share this article

Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."

His upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process while performance. Yet in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging 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 filled with substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic

He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "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—an object that can be interpreted on various levels.

Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He probably has about decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."