Ballet Star Matthew Ball on Demanding Parts and Online Attention: 'I'm Not Protective About My Body'

Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic characters and partnering. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Top

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

Ball's next featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Mental Game and Post-Performance Feelings

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

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not doing well 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 changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, but just acting that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic

He also favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made pieces with his partner, 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 are not usually 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception

On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He probably has another decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."