Ballet Star Matthew Ball on Demanding Roles and Social Media Attention: 'I'm Not Protective About My Body'

Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet often in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Top

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling meaty 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."

His upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his mental workflow while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.

The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "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 Motivations and Creative Influences

His determination originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions 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 filled with substance, drawing inspiration from literature, music, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic

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

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be a bit focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, 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 various levels.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has about decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."