Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty characters, especially the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow during execution. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
What about after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Drivers and Creative Inspirations
Ball's determination originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own choreography. 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 aims his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Private Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in smaller 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 degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually paired on stage at their main theater, 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 supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception
On social media, followers can see videos from his projects and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
