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Within the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a simple tee. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and partnering. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

Ball's next starring role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process during performance. Even in lighter ballets, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings

What about after a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."

Early Drivers and Creative Inspirations

His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation 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 dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules 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 meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and art.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership

He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer 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 was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball describes his early self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."