In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic characters and pas de deux work. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.
An Apparent Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.
The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions
What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic 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 instigator for good change."
Formative Drivers and Creative Influences
His determination originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking 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 aims his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, music, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic
He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past 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 made duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."
