In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and partnering. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process while execution. Even in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, 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 positive change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming challenge is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions 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 wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic
He also is interested in staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the response 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 explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He likely has another ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
