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In the quiet ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for princely characters and partnering. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved 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 Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

Ball's next starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a performer's craft. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Even in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he notes.

The Mental Game and After the Show Emotions

What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed later. Following an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously observed 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 negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for positive change."

Formative Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's determination stemmed from early experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "vengeful!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "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 ideas from literature, music, and art.

Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic

He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces 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 daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually 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. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."