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

In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. During performances, dancers can seem like powerful gods, yet often in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Top

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty characters, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

His next featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his mental process during performance. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences

His determination originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "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 substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and art.

Close-Up Dance and Private Partnership

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

Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Physical Image

On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement 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—something that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about decade of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."