In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar 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, ballet dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and partnering. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly 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."
Ball's next featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his cognitive workflow during performance. Even in lighter works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings
What about following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
His tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is interesting, 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 filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and art.
Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal 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 was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and photos that highlight a athletic physique. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "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 seen on various levels.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you made as a child," 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."
