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Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and partnering. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

His next starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

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

Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

His determination stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "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 meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and art.

Intimate Performance and Private Partnership

He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "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 pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, followers can see videos from his dance films and photos that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He probably has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."