In the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was promoted annually, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive process during execution. Even in more comedic ballets, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
His determination stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering 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 challenge is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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 wants his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Private Dynamic
He also is interested in staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps 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 favorite supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On Instagram, followers 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 protective about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he reflects. He probably has another decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
