In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem 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 characters and partnering. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's next starring appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, demonstrating his mental workflow while performance. Even in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations
His tenacity originated in early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" 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 remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules 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 aims his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He additionally favors staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
