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Within 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 limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet frequently offstage they are petite. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for princely characters and pas de deux work. With fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his early passion in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the troupe and was advanced annually, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the emotional angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

Ball's next featured appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" series designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental process during execution. Even in lighter works, the test is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

How does he feel after a performance, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he says. "However because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, frequently I do feel embarrassed later. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite active in general, but I do have a dark side," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

His determination originated in early setbacks. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

An upcoming challenge is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is compelling, but just acting that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He wants his work to be filled with meaning, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and art.

Intimate Performance and Private Partnership

He additionally favors presenting dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: '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 audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually matched on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "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."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Image

On social media, fans can see videos from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He relates it to viewing 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 am conscious of how life is a different reality to the aspirations you made as a young person," he reflects. He likely has about decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."