In the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's next starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Feelings
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Creative Influences
Ball's determination stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just acting 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 ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He also favors presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust 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 aren’t usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be 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."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement 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 viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different reality to the dreams you made as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
