In the hushed atmosphere 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 simple white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can seem as powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while execution. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Motivations and Creative Influences
Ball's tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "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 inspiration from books, compositions, and art.
Close-Up Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust 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 are not typically matched on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit 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 seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager 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 about ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
