In the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear like powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his mental workflow during performance. Even in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, 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."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences
His tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation 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 obsessive," he remembers.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules 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 wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "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 determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
