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In the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally straight-backed, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet 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 heroic characters and pas de deux work. With fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Top

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

Ball's next featured role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow during performance. Yet in lighter works, the test is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings

What about after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "kind 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 negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

His determination stemmed from early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking 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 wants his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and art.

Close-Up Performance and Private Dynamic

He additionally favors staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous 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 pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Image

On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you made as a child," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."