🔗 Share this article

In the quiet ambiance 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 plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

Ball's next featured appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences

Ball's determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading 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 creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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 wants his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and art.

Close-Up Dance and Private Partnership

He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? 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 viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a child," he reflects. He likely has another ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."