Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem like powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely characters and partnering. With fine traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.
An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle
At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
His upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his mental workflow while execution. Even in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game 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 extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. After an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, 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."
Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences
His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.
The next challenge is making his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just acting 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 loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic
He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow principal 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 resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically 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 notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image
On Instagram, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had 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."
