Matthew Ball - Principal (The Royal Ballet): An Interview (Part 1)

A long chat with Matthew Ball: March 8th, 2022

I don't like comparisons and strangely enough, nowadays, people are constantly tending to make comparisons, regardless of the subject, but always to either things or places or works of Art or people they already know, very seldom something new.

Everybody looks like „somebody else", Everyone reminds people of „another person"... It became quite common to hear statements such as „oh, this city (name any you want) reminds me of Paris (or name any other one you want)", this painting reminds me of another one by (name any painter)", „This music sounds like x's (referring to another composer)", even „your Mother" (while looking at her picture) „looks like you" (Wasn't it supposed to be just the contrary, I mean, that I look like her?) and the list goes on... There seems to exist nearly no critical evaluation at all anymore, just unusable comparisons...

In the case of Matthew Ball, a bright star of the Royal Ballet that shines very high, I have heard many comments such as „He reminds me of Michael Somes" or „He has that Anthony Dowell quality". No question; they were marvelous, unforgettable dancers... but Matthew Ball is Matthew Ball, not anybody else. An individually brilliant Dancer in his own right, he does not need to (and should not) be compared to others.

And by not comparing Mr Ball to anyone, I can only try to give you an „image" as a metaphor to what I want to say: Gifted, „special" dancers can be also seen as the „perfect cocktail" (Just thinking of the, at least for me, perfect „Dry Martini" with half a dozen Olives that is served at the „Empire State Building Cocktail Bar") with precisely the right amount of the right ingredients... And how would this cocktail be when talking of a dancer? Technique, the right physique, good looks, musicality, education apart from dancing, talent in any way you can think of it, interpretation skills, stage presence, projection, etc.? No. I consider these „ingredients" nearly „conditio sine qua non". I am talking about that „thing" that is just „a notch above", that certain quality (whatever it is called) that defines this exact dancer singularly and combines brilliant intelligence with basic common sense and the quality of immersing deeply into a role/part and emotions, communicating them to the audience... from the first Orchestra pit level's row up to the last one in the Gallery. The “cherry on top of the cake.

That is exactly how I felt, watching Mr Ball for the first time as “Apollo”from the homonymous piece by Balanchine. I have seen quite a few Apollos during the course of my life but never had I been so positively surprised with a performance. The freshness, the purity, the “outrageous” youth and energy he brings to this role making it convincing and credible, these are admirable examples of how times have changed and new, more precise readings are a “fact of life”. His interpretation makes sense. It is plausible, filled with believability.

Copyright: Andrej Uspenski / The Royal Opera House

There is no need to write about how this Pandemic has restricted our lives. It is not an easy thing at the moment to take a flight to London and visit any performances of „The Royal Ballet"... or to Milano and go to „La Scala"... or to Paris... Thank God for the Internet for keeping us informed about all that is happening „around us" currently. That is one of the reasons why, after watching a work I had never seen before (I had no idea of its existence but we'll discuss this particular work later), I had the idea of interviewing Mr Ball. And, as we also say here „Gute Dinge brauchen Weile" („A good thing takes time") but more than that: it must happen at the right time. It did.

After happily and warmly greeting each other, we could at last relay, settle back, „put our feet up" and start our long-awaited talk (Note: I say “happily” because we were truly and honestly pleased, and expressing our joy, for having managed at last to be able to meet, even after busy weeks, his relocation to a new flat, a full day of work and London's heavy rush-hour traffic – which made us reschedule our meeting on short notice!)

„We have made it! How are you?" I greet him.

Still not having totally „arrived" after a long day, he says „Oh fine! Thank you! Nice to see you!"

I felt that we would need some time until he would „come down" from a full day, of rehearsals, stress and eventually started talking about some, let's call them, „trivialities" which are also important in our daily life: from the question of if he already had had dinner to the details of the way I work while doing an interview such as timing, etc. I also told him that I had prepared some questions just as a sort of a „guideline" but these would obviously lead us to other questions, topics. „Improvisation" was the topic, the „order of the day"!

„One thing I could not find out about your career. What was your first big role? I mean „BIG" the same way I would use the word „significant"... „

„My first kind of principal role was Lensky in „Onegin" and after that, I went on to the title character in „Romeo and Juliet"... „

„Well, this was also, I must confess, a bit of curiosity as I could not find any information about this point of your career... I would like to start today with a „theme", with something that I feel is lacking a lot in very young people's work nowadays... a simple “little” thing easily called „information", OK?"

He laughs already, feeling in which direction I wanted to go... and I continue: „How does this affect, for example, your ways of preparing a role or, better said, your creative process? Information, for me, is quite an important thing... I remember a few years ago, a boy in the Corps de Ballet who, while rehearsing „Onegin" asked the question: Is Onegin a man's or a woman's name? So you can imagine how well „informed" he was... Tell me about your procedure while preparing for a new role..."

He laughs again, adding „I think this is a very interesting question, particularly because more broadly speaking I think that in Ballet there is so much emphasis on technique concerning the form in which you execute the actual steps. This means that you risk taking any choreography away from its original meaning. Distorting it. If you are an actor learning your play, you have to learn the words that mean something whereas in Dance you could quite easily learn the steps without having to apply meaning to them... „

I interrupt him shortly and say „But an Actor could also just read the lines, without connecting them to any kind of feelings or emotions... steps are for the dancer the same as words for the Actor, don't you think?"

„Yes, Ricardo, right, but Ballet is another „Language" and there is a subtle difference in the „procedure". Let me rephrase it. You can learn the steps and apply no meaning to them however, in my experience I find it very important to consider that not every step has to have a meaning or something to „say" but it is important to attach feelings or sensations to key moments, to discover how you can add levels of interpretation to your body, which is after all our tool of expression. I believe it’s a very expressive medium but akin to music at it’s best it is not one that communicates explicitly or specifically usually. . In terms of working and preparing myself for a role, I do really enjoy researching but in ballet, we have a limited amount of time for doing all these things and, when you are in the Studio, as I said, it does tend to be about learning the steps and executing them to an acceptable degree of proficiency. But for me, it is important to go „beyond" things... you can read a book, you can translate words from originals, you can watch films... but I like to think of inspiration as a „ melting pot" (Editor's note - Melting pot in the true sense of the word: A pot in which metals or other materials are melted and mixed. Not a place where different styles, theories, religions, people from different origins, etc. are mixed together) to reach different levels of consciousness about what you're doing. I like to throw as many different things, information, as possible into this pot, and then, when I pull things out, I am not sure what they are going to be... but as they have been there for a while, they are perhaps transformed or link you to another idea... and it is more surprising and spontaneous and honest in that respect... „

„This is absolutely fascinating... I like that!" I say

But he is so concentrated on his inner thoughts and reflections that he probably doesn't hear that and continues „But I think it is also very important that it also varies, this working process. It is not always straight-forward as a Ballet like „Romeo and Juliet" where you have a very clear piece of inspiration to work from, like a Shakespeare text – I think it often quite interesting to even find something in a static painting which inspires movement or that gives you a flavour of something... „

„A flavour... yes... and you mentioned steps, the choreography, learning it... but what about technique? I am not speaking of „abilities", I am not speaking about seventeen pirouettes, 12 entrechat-six one after the other and I am not speaking about grand-jetés... I am speaking of technique adapted to the character – many people forget nowadays that holding your head properly or lifting your arm exactly is also technique. I make this huge difference between technique and abilities (which of course can be also improved or neglected... ). Does the technique I am talking about help you get more into the role? What do you say to that?"

„Just as you say... and what quickly comes to my mind is Lensky's first solo and his first three steps are Temps Levé & Cabriole, Temps Levé & Cabriole, Temps Levé & Cabriole..." he laughs, „It's just like you're bubbling, in love and overflowing out of you and can't say enough... and then when he starts his Adage Solo with a piquet arabesque, he turns into one direction and then into the other as if saying „Where shall I go?", „What's right?", „How will this end?". These great choreographers were not only taking steps to fit into the music but there are also layers and layers of meaning in every single step... and even sometimes when it is not entirely intentional... I think there's always more and more to find in these details of posture, alignment and intention pirouettes are often just a party trick and the won’t keep you interested or interesting for very long."

„But, " I ask „How do feel about very young dancers? Do they relate to that?"

„A good question. I think that often, as you join a company for the first time, you don't have that much to do... perhaps a couple of Polonaises or sitting on stage using some props and I know a lot of people who say „I trained eight years and now this is all I am doing... „ but as you say, Ricardo, under all these aspects, the experience you are getting while being on stage when you're night after night in the Corps de Ballet, is a precious time. It is when you really get in-depth experience about stage acting, theatre craft and the very kind of essence that ballet is all about. I think every Ballet has a kind „material", a „texture" like a piece of fabric that it is woven from: perhaps „Sleeping Beauty" may be a rich embroidered silk, in „Manon" you have all these beautiful French dresses but also the rags of the poorer in Paris and that always brings to my mind the „flavour" that the entire stage is part of... and, actually, even before I started dancing „main roles", I found that I was learning a lot from just being on stage, „telling" my own little stories. Perhaps they weren't quite as dramatic as the principal characters' but they still had integrity „

„Beautiful, Matthew! How nice... I like that, I like that" I had to repeat all over again. Not a very usual statement especially because based on experience and reflection...

Talking about reflection, we discussed „Marguerite and Armand" for a while, the exactitude, the accuracy of Ashton's choreographies, and why they are not being properly performed by some companies outside the U.K. There is a general lack of good coaching, like here in Vienna, especially with Ashton's work. Once while sitting through a „La fille mal gardée" in which the dancers were doing something on stage which had absolutely nothing to do with Ashton. I could not help and kept wondering what an impact that performance would have caused if witnessed by someone from „The Frederick Ashton Foundation" ). The biggest problem also lies in two quite simple points: less time and much stress... and as I mentioned those two words, Matthew Ball gave a good laugh... Yes, I hit the right spot, I thought. We discussed for a while how an „elderly generation" of singers and dancers used to travel around the world, slowly, with plenty of time to rest and rehearse and in doing so, „caressing", treating their voices and bodies very well. Respecting their „instruments" – and having very long careers. This would be nearly considered a big „luxury" today.

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask if he had to be in class the next morning after flying back from Matthew Bourne's „Swan Lake" (which I was lucky to see) at „The New York City Center", just before the pandemic (and the first Lockdown) on February 2020. I had but to add that, in my opinion, he is in one of the best „Houses"in the whole world. Respect for the Artistes still plays a very important role at The Royal Ballet.

But let's continue...

The second part of this Interview will be online on October 17th. 2022.