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Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet often in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for princely characters and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

Ball's next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But 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 afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

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

An upcoming endeavor is making his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging 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 wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and painting.

Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership

He additionally is interested in staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "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 faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually paired 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 notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Perception

On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat 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 relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He likely has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."