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 simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely characters and partnering. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, particularly the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while performance. Even in lighter works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Feelings
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However 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. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate 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 remembers.
An upcoming challenge is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking 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 books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic
He additionally is interested in staging dance in more intimate venues. "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 human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree 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 aren’t usually paired 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 biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On Instagram, fans can see videos from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has another ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
