In the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. With delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's next starring role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his mental process while execution. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences
Ball's determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.
The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just acting that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He aims his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and art.
Intimate Performance and Private Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "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 Image
On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate reality to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
