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

Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, particularly the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

Ball's next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Even in lighter ballets, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

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

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

His tenacity stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next challenge is creating his own dance works. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is interesting, but just pretending 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 loaded with meaning, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and art.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership

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

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not typically paired on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement 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 relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple ways.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has about decade of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."