In the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously observed 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 kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is interesting, 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 books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has about decade of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
