In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely characters and partnering. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process while performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Drivers and Creative Influences
Ball's determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules 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 filled with substance, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," 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 perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response 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 relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has about decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
