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Within the hushed atmosphere of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a simple tee. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as mighty gods, yet often in person they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

Ball's next starring appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's craft. He will guide the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process during performance. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

How does he feel following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously observed 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 negativity has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Drivers and Artistic Influences

His tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

An upcoming challenge is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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 substance, drawing inspiration from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic

He additionally favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, 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 tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image

On social media, fans can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He probably has another ten years of performing left. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."