Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely characters and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process during execution. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he notes.
The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed 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 somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
Ball's tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is making his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules 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 wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually paired 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On Instagram, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight 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—something that can be interpreted on multiple levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
