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In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's carriage is naturally upright, his arms defined beneath a plain tee. On stage, dancers can appear as powerful gods, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his popularity for princely roles and partnering. With delicate features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Rise to the Pinnacle

At 31, Ball is enjoying the crest of a career that has advanced smoothly. Raised in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his childhood passion in ballet. Entering the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved straight into the troupe and was promoted annually, attaining the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, particularly the psychological angst 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 appearance is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event aiming to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the crowd through a part, demonstrating his mental workflow while execution. Even in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the toughest technically," he notes.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Feelings

How does he feel after 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 character, quite often I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following an intense role I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is thoughtful, mild-mannered, and quick to laugh at himself. But a dance maker previously observed on a "kind of suffering in him." Is there? "I am very energetic usually, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that negativity has been an catalyst for positive change."

Early Motivations and Artistic Influences

His determination originated in early setbacks. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Discovering the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It changed everything, it made me go a bit fanatical," he remembers.

The next endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "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 aims his work to be loaded with meaning, drawing ideas from literature, music, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Private Partnership

He additionally is interested in presenting dance in more intimate venues. "It was just really thrilling," he says of a previous experience. "You’re so near to the audience. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a human, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created pieces with his partner, fellow principal 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 typically paired on stage at their home company, which might be healthy. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

On Social Media and Physical Image

On social media, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be somewhat focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very precious about it," he explains. He relates it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "desperate for success." Did it met his expectations? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a young person," he muses. He likely has another decade of performing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."