Within 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 limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, 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 partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to prove he could succeed. 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 conventions is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He aims his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He also favors staging dance in smaller venues. "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 human, and they’re sweating.'"
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 audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has about ten years of performing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
