In the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial 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 upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his mental process during execution. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Influences
His determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation 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 making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is interesting, but just acting 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 filled with substance, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
