Within the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood passion 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 lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive workflow while performance. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Influences
His determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel 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 remembers.
The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "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 wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, music, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic
He also favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "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 girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually paired on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception
On Instagram, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective 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." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
