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In the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, particularly 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 featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while execution. Even in more comedic ballets, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.

The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Feelings

What about after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."

Early Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

His tenacity originated in early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just acting that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and art.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership

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

Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched 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. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image

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

Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you made as a child," he muses. He probably has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."