In the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive process during performance. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote 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's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences
His tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, but just acting 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 meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and art.
Close-Up Performance and Personal Dynamic
He also favors presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On Instagram, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you made as a young person," he muses. He probably has another ten years of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
