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In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can appear as mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Top

At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced each year, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, particularly the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

Ball's next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Even in lighter works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

What about after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."

Formative Drivers and Creative Influences

His tenacity stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" 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 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 loaded with substance, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Partnership

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

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious 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 strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Image

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."