In the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic roles and partnering. With fine traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process while performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next challenge is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is compelling, 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 meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that highlight a athletic physique. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
