Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can seem as mighty gods, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, 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."
His upcoming starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process while execution. Yet in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking 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 inspiration from literature, compositions, and art.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership
He also 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 sweating.'"
Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans 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 protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He probably has about decade of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
