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In the hushed atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for princely characters and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, particularly the emotional angst 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 starring appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while performance. Yet in lighter ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

How does he feel following a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the juice out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very active usually, but I do have a dark side," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."

Early Motivations and Creative Influences

His tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" This became motivation to prove he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

An upcoming challenge is making his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking 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 aims his work to be filled with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic

He also is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined 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 Perception

On Instagram, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted form. Does he mind 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 explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I feel very aware of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another decade of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."