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In the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

His upcoming featured appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his mental workflow while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."

Early Motivations and Creative Influences

His determination stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. In his view, "organic movement has value." "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 substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Personal Partnership

He also favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and photos that highlight a athletic physique. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger 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 young person," he muses. He likely has another ten years of performing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."