Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and partnering. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations
Ball's tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became 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 fanatical," he recalls.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, 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 loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Private Dynamic
He also favors staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "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 pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On social media, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
