Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his mental workflow during execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" 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 obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just acting 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 inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal 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 was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On social media, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
