Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like powerful deities, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
His tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became 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 creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions is interesting, but just pretending 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 substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, 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 daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Image
On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind 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 precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.
Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. 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."
