Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations
His tenacity originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "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 person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
