🔗 Share this article

In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Top

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, 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."

Ball's upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process during performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions

What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking 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 loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and painting.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic

He also favors staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," 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 sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Image

On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."