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Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, particularly the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

His next starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a part, showing his cognitive process while performance. Even in lighter works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he notes.

The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions

What about after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."

Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's determination originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

An upcoming challenge is creating 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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership

He additionally favors staging dance in smaller 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 person, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On social media, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat 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—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has about decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."