Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his arms muscular beneath a simple tee. On stage, dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow during execution. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Influences
His determination stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is compelling, 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 meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow principal 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 resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But 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 images that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? 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 ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a child," he reflects. He probably has another decade of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
