Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful deities, yet often in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations
His tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed 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 Image
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He probably has about decade of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
