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Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His posture is effortlessly straight-backed, his limbs defined beneath a simple tee. During performances, ballet dancers can seem as powerful gods, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for heroic roles and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a touch of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his early interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was advanced each year, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved taking on meaty dramatic roles, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

Ball's next featured role is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event aiming to offer intimate insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his mental workflow during performance. Even in lighter works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.

The Mental Struggle and Post-Performance Emotions

How does he feel following a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the role, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

Offstage, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. But a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I'm quite energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I kind of enjoy pessimism sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an instigator for positive change."

Formative Drivers and Artistic Inspirations

Ball's tenacity stemmed from youthful experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" It was motivation to demonstrate he could succeed. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is interesting, but just pretending that they’re not a thing any more – I don’t know how far you can go with that." He aims his work to be loaded with substance, drawing ideas from literature, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Dance and Personal Dynamic

He additionally favors presenting dance in more intimate spaces. "It was just really exciting," he says of a past show. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were realizing: 'That’s a human, and they’re sweating.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a daring lift. "It resembled Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t usually paired on stage at their main theater, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and photos that showcase a sculpted form. Does he care that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be interpreted on various ways.

Ball describes his younger self as "desperate for success." Has it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate reality to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He probably has another ten years of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."