Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet often in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent 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 passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental process while performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic 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 positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
His determination originated in early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is compelling, but just acting 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 substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Dynamic
He additionally is interested in staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous 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 girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually paired 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Image
On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has about decade of performing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
