Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as powerful gods, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental process during execution. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just acting 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 meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has about decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
