Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely characters and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his mental workflow while performance. Even in lighter works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Game and Post-Performance Feelings
How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Motivations and Creative Influences
His tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became 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 obsessive," he remembers.
The next challenge is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "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 wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched 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 notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
