Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"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 designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and Post-Performance Emotions
What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
An upcoming challenge is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking 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 substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He likely has about ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
