Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his cognitive process during performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However 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. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active in general, 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."
Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations
His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was 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 recalls.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions is compelling, but just pretending 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 loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Private Partnership
He additionally favors presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you had as a young person," 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 gentle with myself."
