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In the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet often in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for princely roles and partnering. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty characters, particularly the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

Ball's next starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, demonstrating his mental process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet 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. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading 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 challenge is making his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just pretending 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 inspiration from literature, music, and art.

Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership

He additionally is interested in staging dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "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 duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled 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 favorite supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He likely has about ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."