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Within the quiet ambiance of a lounge near London's Royal Ballet, Matthew Ball requests a mint tea. His carriage is effortlessly upright, his limbs defined beneath a plain white T-shirt. On stage, ballet dancers can seem as mighty deities, yet often offstage they are petite. This is not true for Ball, whose height is part of his demand for heroic roles and partnering. Possessing fine traits and piercing eyes, there's a touch of Robert Pattinson about him.

An Apparent Ascent to the Pinnacle

Now 31, Ball is experiencing the peak of a career that has advanced seamlessly. Growing up in Liverpool, he faced little teasing for his childhood interest in ballet. Joining the Royal Ballet School at 11, he moved directly into the company and was promoted annually, reaching the highest position of principal in 2018. He has loved taking on substantial dramatic roles, especially the psychological angst found in a famed choreographer's works.

"Your lungs are burning, your legs get heavy, but it’s really a neural fatigue."

Ball's next featured appearance is as himself, in an "Evening With" series designed to offer behind-the-scenes insights into a dancer's craft. He will guide the crowd through a part, showing his mental process while execution. Even in more comedic works, the test is profound. "A classic ballet is one of the toughest technically," he states.

The Psychological Struggle and After the Show Feelings

What about following a show, when he has pulled it off? "It's pretty good," he admits. "But because I'm trying to squeeze all the emotion out of it, and get lost in the character, quite often I do feel self-conscious later. Following Mayerling I'm always like: God, what must people think?"

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

Formative Drivers and Creative Inspirations

Ball's tenacity originated in youthful experiences. Not excelling in contests at school made him "driven!" This became fuel to demonstrate he could succeed. Reading the book *Mao's Last Dancer* was a "pivotal" moment. "It flipped a switch, it made me go a bit obsessive," he remembers.

The next challenge is creating his own choreography. In his view, "organic movement has value." "Challenging the conventions is compelling, but just pretending 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 literature, music, and painting.

Close-Up Performance and Private Partnership

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

Ball has created duets with his partner, fellow principal Mayara Magri. The degree of faith between them is clear. "We first practiced on a beach," he says of a daring 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 strong-willed people, so it’s not always hunky dory," he admits. "Yet I feel like we’re each other’s favorite supporter."

On Social Media and Bodily Perception

On Instagram, fans can see clips from his projects and images that showcase a athletic form. Does he mind that the engagement 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 states. He compares it to seeing Michelangelo’s David—something that can be seen on multiple ways.

Ball characterizes his early self as "desperate for success." Did it lived up to his expectations? "I am conscious of how life is a separate thing to the aspirations you had as a child," he muses. He likely has another decade of performing left. "I suppose in the future, I want to be a bit more kind with myself."