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Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

His upcoming featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his mental process during performance. Yet in more comedic works, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel after a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

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

Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations

His determination originated in early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "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 aims his work to be filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic

He also favors presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith 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 main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Physical Perception

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various levels.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."