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In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

His upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest from a skill perspective," he states.

The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel following a show, 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 immersed in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became 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 remembers.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the rules 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 loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.

Close-Up Performance and Personal Dynamic

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

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be 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 favorite cheerleader."

On Social Media and Physical Perception

On social media, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate reality to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He likely has about decade of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."