Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. On stage, ballet dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, showing his mental workflow during performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and Post-Performance Emotions
What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."
Formative Motivations and Creative Influences
His tenacity originated in early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just acting that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On social media, followers can see videos from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic physique. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He probably has about ten years of performing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
