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In the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty characters, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

Ball's upcoming starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his mental process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings

What about following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

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

Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's determination originated in early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is interesting, 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 substance, drawing inspiration from books, music, and painting.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic

He also favors staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he care 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 explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various levels.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate reality to the dreams you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has about decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."