Within the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as powerful gods, yet often offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate traits 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 seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest 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 meaty characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive process during performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is interesting, but just pretending 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 loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Private Dynamic
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted 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 young person," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
