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In the quiet atmosphere of a hotel bar near London's prestigious dance company, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. The dancer's posture is effortlessly upright, his limbs muscular beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, dancers can appear like mighty gods, yet often in person they are small. Not so Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for heroic roles and pas de deux work. With fine traits and intense eyes, there's a hint of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Top

At 31, Ball is enjoying the peak of a career that has progressed seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the esteemed training institution at 11, he graduated directly into the company and was advanced each year, reaching the top rank of lead dancer in 2018. He has relished taking on substantial characters, especially the emotional turmoil found in a famed choreographer's works.

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

His next featured appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate perspectives into a performer's art. He will walk the crowd through a part, demonstrating his cognitive process while execution. Yet in more comedic works, the challenge is profound. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding from a skill perspective," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and Post-Performance Feelings

What about after a show, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get immersed in the character, frequently I do feel embarrassed afterwards. Following Mayerling I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

In person, Ball is reflective, polite, and prone to laugh at himself. Yet a choreographer once remarked on a "sense of suffering in him." Does this exist? "I am very active in general, but I do have a melancholy streak," he reveals. "I somewhat enjoy negativity sometimes. I've always felt that doubt has been an instigator for good change."

Formative Motivations and Artistic Influences

His tenacity stemmed from youthful setbacks. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "driven!" It was fuel to prove he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "watershed" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he recalls.

The next endeavor is making his own choreography. For Ball, "there's nothing wrong with." "Breaking the conventions 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, music, and art.

Close-Up Performance and Personal Partnership

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

Ball has made pieces with his girlfriend, fellow lead dancer Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is evident. "We tried it out on the beach first," he says of a audacious lift. "It was like Dirty Dancing." The couple are not usually matched on stage at their home company, which is perhaps beneficial. "We’re both quite determined people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Physical Perception

On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that highlight a sculpted physique. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not really. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He relates it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—an object that can be interpreted on multiple ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Has it lived up to his hopes? "I am conscious of how life is a different reality to the dreams you made as a child," he muses. He probably has another ten years of dancing ahead. "I guess in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."