Within the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet often in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely characters and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, particularly the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
His next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive process during performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once observed on a "sense 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 pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, 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 inspiration from literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically matched 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Bodily Perception
On social media, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has about ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
