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

Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

His next starring appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations

His tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

An upcoming challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions 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 aims his work to be filled with substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic

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

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 aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Physical Perception

On social media, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another decade of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."