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

Within the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

His next featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his mental process while performance. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Early Drivers and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" 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." "Challenging the rules is compelling, 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, music, and art.

Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic

He also is interested in presenting dance in smaller 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 thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not typically paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Physical Image

On social media, followers can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."