Within the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. During performances, dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.
A Seamless Ascent to the Top
Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.
"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."
Ball's upcoming featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Yet in lighter works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.
The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions
How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"
Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."
Early Motivations and Artistic Influences
His determination stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.
The next challenge is making his own dance works. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions 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 filled with meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and art.
Intimate Performance and Private Partnership
He also is interested in staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"
Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."
On Social Media and Physical Image
On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and photos that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.
Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."
