Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, showing his mental process while performance. Yet in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "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 determination originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was fuel 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 obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a reality 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 literature, music, and art.
Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership
He also favors presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
