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Within the hushed ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his arms defined beneath a simple white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet often offstage they are small. This is not true for Ball, whose tall stature is part of his demand for princely characters and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered minimal teasing for his early interest in ballet. Entering the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved directly into the company and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial characters, particularly the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's ballets.

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

His upcoming starring role is as himself, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the audience through a role, demonstrating his mental workflow while performance. Even in more comedic works, the challenge is significant. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.

The Mental Game and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel after a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "However because I'm trying to squeeze 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: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, 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 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 instigator for good change."

Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not doing well in contests at school made him "driven!" This became motivation 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 fanatical," he recalls.

An upcoming endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules 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 wants his work to be filled with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and art.

Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic

He also favors presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really exciting," 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 perspiring.'"

Ball has made duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a audacious lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." They are not typically matched on stage at their home company, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always smooth sailing," he notes. "But I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On social media, followers can see clips from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he states. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a different thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another ten years of dancing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."