Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic characters and partnering. With delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his mental process during execution. Even in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels 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 self-conscious later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Motivations and Creative Inspirations
Ball's tenacity originated in early experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules 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 wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.
Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic
He additionally favors presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "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 biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Image
On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple levels.
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 separate thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about decade of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
