In the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple tee. During performances, dancers can seem like powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously 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 pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging 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 wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "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 biggest cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "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 interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
