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Within the hushed ambiance of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. On stage, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet frequently offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is one reason for his demand for princely roles and pas de deux work. With fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little ridicule for his early interest in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has relished taking on meaty characters, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

His upcoming starring role is in a talk, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, demonstrating his cognitive process while performance. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he notes.

The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions

What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It feels pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the role, frequently I do feel self-conscious afterwards. After an intense role I'm always thinking: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and prone to laugh at himself. But a dance maker once observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, 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 positive change."

Formative Motivations and Creative Inspirations

Ball's determination stemmed from youthful experiences. Not doing well in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to prove he could succeed. Discovering 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. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the rules is interesting, 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 loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from books, compositions, and art.

Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership

He also favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so close to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The level of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." They are not usually paired on stage at their home company, which is perhaps healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

On Social Media and Physical Image

On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he care that the engagement can be somewhat focused on appearance? 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 interpreted on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a different thing to the dreams you made as a child," he reflects. He likely has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."