Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for heroic roles and partnering. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while execution. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions
How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Drivers and Creative Influences
His determination stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just pretending that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He also favors staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. 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 first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, 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 biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another decade of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
