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In the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. His posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. During performances, ballet dancers can seem like powerful deities, yet often offstage they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is part of his popularity for heroic characters and pas de deux work. Possessing fine features and intense eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

A Seamless Ascent to the Top

Now 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed smoothly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced minimal teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated straight into the troupe and was promoted each year, reaching the highest position of lead dancer in 2018. He has loved tackling meaty dramatic roles, especially the emotional angst found in Kenneth MacMillan's works.

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

Ball's upcoming featured role is as himself, in an "In Conversation" event designed to offer behind-the-scenes perspectives into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a role, showing his cognitive workflow during execution. Even in lighter works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Game and After the Show Emotions

How does he feel after 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 afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

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

Formative Motivations and Artistic Inspirations

His tenacity stemmed from early experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "vengeful!" It was fuel to demonstrate he could achieve. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit fanatical," he recalls.

The next endeavor is creating his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the rules is compelling, 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 substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.

Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership

He also is interested in staging dance in smaller venues. "It was just really exciting," he says of a previous show. "You’re so near to the viewers. I felt as if they were thinking: 'That’s a person, and they’re perspiring.'"

Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of trust between them is evident. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple aren’t typically matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "But I feel like we’re each other’s biggest supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Image

On Instagram, followers can see videos from his projects and photos that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be a bit focused on appearance? Not really. "The body is just what we use, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple levels.

Ball describes his early self as "desperate for success." Has it met his hopes? "I feel very aware of how reality is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He probably has about ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the time to come, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."