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Within the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and piercing 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 progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was promoted each year, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

Ball's upcoming featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a performer's art. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow during performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a choreographer previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active usually, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Early Drivers and Creative Influences

His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel 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 recalls.

The next challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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 aims his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Private Partnership

He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched 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 supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, followers can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit 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 seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball describes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a young person," 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."