Dance Luminary Matthew Ball on Grueling Parts and Social Media Scrutiny: 'I Don't Feel 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 naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem as powerful gods, yet often in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

His upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his mental workflow while performance. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's determination stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became 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 obsessive," he remembers.

The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is compelling, but just pretending that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He aims his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Private Partnership

He additionally is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired on stage at their home company, which might be 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 favorite cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat objectifying? 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—something that can be interpreted on various levels.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."