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Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for princely characters and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position 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 mental fatigue."

Ball's upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Mental Struggle and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "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. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, 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." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."

Early Motivations and Artistic Influences

His tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became fuel 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.

An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking 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 loaded with substance, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and art.

Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic

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

Ball has created duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer 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 resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not typically paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how life is a different thing to the dreams you made as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of performing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."