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In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for heroic characters and partnering. Possessing delicate features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

Ball's next starring appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, showing his cognitive workflow while execution. Even in lighter works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings

What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always thinking: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer previously remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he confesses. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an catalyst for positive change."

Early Motivations and Artistic Inspirations

His determination originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

The next endeavor is creating his own choreography. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is compelling, but just pretending 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 loaded with substance, drawing ideas from books, music, and art.

Intimate Dance and Personal Partnership

He additionally is interested in staging dance in smaller spaces. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a past experience. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not usually 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 admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

On Social Media and Physical Image

On Instagram, followers can see clips from his dance films and photos that showcase a athletic physique. Does he care that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we use, 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 ways.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he reflects. He likely has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."