Dance Star Matthew Ball on Grueling Roles and Social Media Attention: 'I Don't Feel Precious About My Body'

In the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, dancers can appear like mighty deities, yet frequently offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

Ball's upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow while performance. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions

What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Motivations and Artistic Influences

His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became 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 endeavor is creating his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is interesting, 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 substance, drawing ideas from literature, music, and art.

Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic

He additionally favors presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level 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." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind 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 states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various levels.

Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different thing to the dreams you made as a child," he muses. He likely has another ten years of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."