Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms 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 tall stature is part of his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next starring appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his cognitive process during execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions
What about following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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 aims his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, 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." The couple are not typically 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media 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 somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple levels.
Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He probably has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
