Principal ballerina at Cape Town City Ballet, Megan Swart

What was your most memorable wine experience?
A wine and food pairing at Constantia Uitsig. A five-course dinner complemented by fine wine, ending with dessert and Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance.

 

What was the last wine that you bought?
A bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

How big is your wine collection?
A collection of no more than 10 bottles that I keep for special occasions. Otherwise, I buy and drink soon thereafter!

Which are your favourite South African wine producers?
Thelema, Bouchard Finlayson and Rupert & Rothschild.

What was your most embarrassing moment to do with wine?
I once took a great bottle of wine that I had saved specially for this particular dinner party. Needless to say, it was corked.

What do you like least about wine?
That it is so temperature dependant and a bottle will often arrive at the table insufficiently chilled – especially red which should be at ‘French’ room temperature, which is considerably colder than in South Africa.

What is your favourite meal?
A slow-roast pork belly accompanied by steamed tatsoi in a sweet soy and sesame dressing.

Which are your favourite restaurants in South Africa?
La Colombe for its tasting menu, Harbour House for the view and La Petite Ferme for the baked trout.

Which three people would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Mata Hari, Leonardo da Vinci and Yoda.

What is your most treasured possession?
My self-esteem.

What is your greatest extravagance?
A William Kentridge etching that I bought at an auction.

Who are your favourite writers?
Salman Rushdie, JRR Tolkien, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

Who are your favourite musicians?
Simple Minds, Beethoven, Wagner, The Cure and Louis Armstrong.

Where did you spend your last holiday?
A game reserve in Sabi Sands bordering the Kruger National Park.

What is your favourite city in the world and why?
Cairo, for the feeling of organised chaos, the lush banks of the Nile surrounded by desert and the sight of the Pyramids of Giza in the distance.

What is your idea of happiness?
Knowing that I love my life and still have so much ahead of me.

What do you love most about your job?
The fact that every day is completely different from the day before. A new day brings new challenges. You can get your body to do anything with repetition and dedication.

How do you relax after a day on stage or in class?
A glass of wine, a game of chess and great music with someone special.

Megan was born in Johannesburg, where she trained with Lynne Fouche from the age of eight. At the age of sixteen she attended the Royal Ballet School in London on a scholarship. She now lives in Cape Town and has been dancing with CTCB since 1996.