Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's next featured role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate 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 challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is interesting, but just pretending 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 loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.
Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"
Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t 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 biggest supporter."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
