In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple tee. On stage, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process while performance. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings
How does he feel after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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, compositions, and art.
Intimate Dance and Private Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made pieces with his partner, 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 daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched 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. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Perception
On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.
Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another decade of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
