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In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely roles and partnering. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished tackling substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

His next starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate insights into a performer's art. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his mental workflow during execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions

What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After an intense role 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 previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Motivations and Artistic Influences

Ball's determination originated in early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking 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 filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership

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

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They 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 smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the response can be a bit 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 seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the aspirations you made as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."