In the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for princely characters and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his mental process during execution. Yet in more comedic works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
His determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging 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 wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit 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 seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another ten years of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
