In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely roles and partnering. Possessing delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations
Ball's tenacity originated in early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just pretending 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 loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Private Partnership
He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps 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 Image
On social media, followers can see videos from his projects and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has another decade of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
