Prime

Pictured on the cover of Prime is an international superstar, someone who altered the course of history for so many South African dancers and – through his visionary actions – helped alter perceptions in this country about whose stories get told through the medium of dance. He is not only a powerful presence, but also a kind, warm and loving soul. And a one-of-a-kind humanitarian. His name is Gregory Maqoma and, at the ripe young age of 51, he feels he is at the pinnacle of his career – and ready to spread his wings wider than ever before.

While dancing is his lifeblood, keeps him vital and connects him in some ethereal way with a force he says is bigger than all of us, he will, this month, give his final public performance. As a teacher, a world-class choreographer and a multidiscipline artist, however, he is ready to try new things, take on potentially undiscovered passions and perhaps learn to dance to a different beat.

Whether it’s his disciplined mindset or a quirk of his openhearted personality, Maqoma has a great deal to teach us about life – and how to live each day well. For someone whose professional life has been spent in the spotlight and on the world stage, he says he’s most grateful for the simple things in life. He extols the virtues of living in a peaceful part of Gauteng (Henley-on-Klip) and taking time to walk in nature with his “beautiful life partner” and his dogs (because, yes, love and animals definitely keep us young) or driving to new places where the newness and wonder of the environment feeds his soul just as much as the many opportunities he gets to travel abroad. Turn the page to get a snapshot of his life and learn what inspires him and how he sees the way forward.

In our travel section, we recommend three seaside spots to mix sunshine with a different sort of safari, and we have vitality inspiration in our health section, where – naturally – the key piece of advice is to “never stop dancing”.

When it comes to finances and investments, we prefer not to muck around – and neither should you. We have a couple of investment tips  in this issue and talk about ways of getting into the retirement property game.

Finally, we recommend how to start dabbling in art collecting, and we also spotlight a new way of experiencing one of Africa’s rarest flavours: Kalahari truffles.

Enjoy! And remember to keep dancing …

Keith Bain, editor