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 arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and partnering. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's next starring appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process during execution. Even in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings
What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming challenge is making his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a reality 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 Performance and Personal Partnership
He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "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 home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On Instagram, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. 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 protective about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of performing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
