In the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic characters and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his mental workflow while execution. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Mental Game and Post-Performance Feelings
What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules 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 filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He also favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made pieces 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 typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has about decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
