Ballet Luminary Matthew Ball on Demanding Roles and Online Attention: 'I Don't Feel Protective About My Body'

In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet often in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely characters and pas de deux work. With fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

"Your breath is short, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."

Ball's upcoming featured appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow during performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.

The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Feelings

What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

The next challenge is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules 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 aims his work to be filled with substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.

Close-Up Dance and Private Partnership

He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "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 main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, fans can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various levels.

Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has about ten years of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."