In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process during performance. Even in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
What about following 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 lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite 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 instigator for positive change."
Early Drivers and Creative Inspirations
Ball's tenacity 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 obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions 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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic physique. 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 precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has about ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
