🔗 Share this article

Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and partnering. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

His next starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his mental workflow while execution. Even in lighter works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer 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 kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."

Early Drivers and Artistic Influences

His determination stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging 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 meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and art.

Close-Up Performance and Private Dynamic

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

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted 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 states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met 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 about ten years of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."