Within the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
His tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel 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 remembers.
The next endeavor 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 thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He also favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, 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." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a sculpted 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 precious about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
