🔗 Share this article

Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."

Ball's upcoming featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is profound. "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 following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's determination originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next challenge is creating his own dance works. 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 books, music, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Partnership

He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple ways.

Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."