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Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly upright, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can seem like powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Top

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

Ball's upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, showing his mental process while performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions

What about after a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

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

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

His determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

The next endeavor is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules 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 literature, music, and art.

Intimate Dance and Personal Partnership

He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, fans can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."