Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.
A Seamless Rise to the Top
At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."
Ball's upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his mental workflow during performance. Yet in lighter works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.
The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions
How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."
Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations
Ball's tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.
An upcoming challenge is creating his own choreography. 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 literature, compositions, and painting.
Intimate Performance and Private Partnership
He also favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "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 pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."
Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception
On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted physique. 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 precious about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various levels.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
