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Within the quiet atmosphere of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball orders a mint tea. The dancer's posture is naturally straight-backed, his arms muscular beneath a simple tee. During performances, dancers can seem like mighty gods, yet frequently in person they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is one reason for his demand for princely roles and partnering. Possessing fine features and piercing eyes, there's a hint of a brooding actor about him.

An Apparent Rise to the Top

At 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he encountered little ridicule for his early passion in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he graduated directly into the troupe and was promoted each year, attaining the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved tackling substantial characters, especially the psychological turmoil found in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets.

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

His upcoming starring appearance is in a talk, in an "Evening With" event designed to offer intimate perspectives into a dancer's art. He will guide the audience through a part, showing his mental workflow during execution. Yet in more comedic ballets, the test is significant. "Don Quixote is one of the most demanding technically," he notes.

The Psychological Game and Post-Performance Emotions

What about following a performance, when he has succeeded? "It's pretty good," he says. "But because I'm trying to extract all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. After an intense role I'm always like: Wow, what must people think?"

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

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

His determination originated in early experiences. Not excelling in competitions at school made him "vengeful!" This became 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 obsessive," he recalls.

An upcoming endeavor is making his own dance works. For Ball, "organic movement has value." "Breaking the conventions is interesting, 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 loaded with substance, drawing inspiration from books, compositions, and painting.

Intimate Performance and Personal Dynamic

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

Ball has created duets 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." They aren’t usually matched on stage at their main theater, which might be beneficial. "We’re both quite strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he notes. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s biggest cheerleader."

Regarding Instagram and Bodily Image

On social media, fans can see videos from his dance films and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the response can be a bit objectifying? Not particularly. "The body is just what we work with, so I don’t feel very protective about it," he explains. He compares it to viewing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on various ways.

Ball characterizes his younger self as "eager for success." Did it met his expectations? "I am conscious of how reality is a separate thing to the dreams you had as a child," he reflects. He probably has another decade of dancing ahead. "I suppose in the time to come, I want to be a bit more gentle with myself."