Dance Luminary Matthew Ball on Grueling Parts and Online Scrutiny: 'I'm Not Precious About My Body'

In the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Top

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, 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 upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his cognitive workflow during performance. Even in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

How does he feel following a show, 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 immersed in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very 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 Inspirations

Ball's tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just acting that they’re not a reality any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic

He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level 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 aren’t usually matched 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 favorite supporter."

On Social Media and Physical Perception

On Instagram, followers can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about decade of performing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."