Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil 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 in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his mental process during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Drivers and Creative Influences
Ball's determination stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is interesting, but just pretending 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 art.
Close-Up Performance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous 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 lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically paired on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his hopes? "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 dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
