Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can appear as mighty deities, yet often in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely characters and partnering. Possessing delicate features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
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 interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while execution. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following 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 immersed in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Influences
His determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" 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 recalls.
The next challenge is making his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is compelling, but just acting that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Private Partnership
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous 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 made pieces with his partner, fellow principal 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 resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet 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 athletic form. Does he mind 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 compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
