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In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his limbs muscular beneath a simple tee. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for princely characters and partnering. With 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 enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved 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 neural fatigue."

Ball's upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, showing his cognitive process during performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the challenge is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."

Early Drivers and Creative Inspirations

Ball's determination originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

The next endeavor is making his own dance works. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just acting 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 meaning, drawing ideas from books, music, and art.

Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership

He also 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 viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made pieces 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 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 strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Image

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."