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Within the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally upright, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

His next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series aiming to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Mental Struggle and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel after a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for good change."

Early Drivers and Creative Influences

Ball's determination originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Challenging 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 wants his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and art.

Intimate Performance and Personal Partnership

He also favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "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 person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The level of faith 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 usually paired on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "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, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on multiple levels.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the dreams you had as a child," he muses. He likely has about decade of performing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."