Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive process while execution. Yet in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, 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 lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Early Drivers and Creative Influences
Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "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 wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, music, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "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—something that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
