Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic characters and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his mental process during execution. Yet in more comedic works, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences
His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
The next challenge is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is compelling, but just acting 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 meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and art.
Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic
He also favors staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created 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 aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
