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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 carriage is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain tee. On stage, ballet dancers can appear like powerful gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for princely characters and partnering. Possessing delicate traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty characters, especially the psychological angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

His upcoming featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will walk the audience through a part, demonstrating his cognitive workflow while performance. Yet in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

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 immersed in the character, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once observed on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."

Early Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is compelling, 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 books, music, and painting.

Close-Up Dance and Personal Dynamic

He additionally is interested in presenting dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past show. "You’re so close to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t usually matched 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. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, fans can see videos from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be seen on various ways.

Ball characterizes his early self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a child," he muses. He probably has about ten years of dancing left. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."