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Within the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Top

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

Ball's next starring appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process during execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for good change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in youthful experiences. 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 fanatical," he remembers.

The next endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "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 wants his work to be loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from literature, music, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic

He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close 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 lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception

On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."