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Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as powerful deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, 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 next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he states.

The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

His tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

The next challenge is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the rules is interesting, 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 inspiration from literature, compositions, and painting.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Partnership

He also favors presenting 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 thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has made pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith 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 typically matched on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a young person," he muses. He probably has another ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."