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In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet often in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

"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 "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his cognitive workflow while performance. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

His tenacity originated in early experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

An upcoming challenge is making his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules 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 books, music, and art.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership

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

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."