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In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

Ball's next featured role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions

How does he feel after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic 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."

Early Motivations and Artistic Influences

His tenacity originated in youthful setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "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 filled with substance, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Partnership

He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made duets 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 audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "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."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image

On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat 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 viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He likely has about decade of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."