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In the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like powerful 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 partnering. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is experiencing the crest of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the company and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

His upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will walk the audience through a role, showing his cognitive process during performance. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Feelings

What about following a show, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the juice out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a dance maker once remarked on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for good change."

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

His tenacity stemmed from early setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

The next endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, but just acting 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 filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Dynamic

He also favors staging dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They aren’t typically matched on stage at their main theater, 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 favorite supporter."

On Social Media and Physical Image

On Instagram, followers can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."