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Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is naturally upright, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for heroic characters and partnering. With delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a mental fatigue."

Ball's next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

How does he feel following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After Mayerling I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Influences

Ball's tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is interesting, but just pretending that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Private Dynamic

He also favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," 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 made duets with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically paired on stage at their main theater, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, 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 ways.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."