Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear as mighty deities, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while execution. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just pretending 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 loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from literature, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
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 daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "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 Image
On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
