I'm an impatient shopper, with no time to float around the malls, and I don't like trying things on.

I work from 10am to 5pm - dancing all day - and I'm happy in the studio or the theatre.

Shop trips are generally for specific items I need. Otherwise, I rely on costume designer Ann Bales to bring to life my visions for shows.

The high heels and elaborate coats I dance in (the last one was floor-length, gold and black), are too loud to wear off the stage.

However, coats, along with earrings and handbags, are my weakness.

Sometimes, when I go shopping in my rehearsal gear, the clerks are rude to me. They think I won't buy anything based on the way I' m dressed. So, I rarely ask shop assistants for advice.

I know exactly what colour and style I'm looking for before I set off. I find exactly what I'm looking for and I leave, and I don't make a trip to the shops a big thing.

Social shopping and retail therapy are not for me. I'd rather have a massage - which, for a dancer, is a necessity.

Clothes that are sophisticated and elegant are ideal for my feminine style. I love the ballet look, the kind of thing that designer Abigail Betz does. She made a beautiful swan dress a while ago that I was in love with, but I didn't buy it.

The last item I bought was a formal jacket from Witchery in Stuttafords for the opening of my show with William Kentridge last year. It was one of my best shopping experiences ever because I knew the jacket was perfect for me the moment I saw it.

I travel a lot, but hardly ever buy anything overseas, except maybe a bag, like the one I bought in Paris, which has an image of the Eiffel Tower on it. It's big and can carry all my dancing gear.

Although I'm not really into fashion, I'm aware of the trends. Colour blocking is interesting, but can go horribly wrong.

I love that fashion can be daring and provocative - and that's the only reason I can relate to it.

I'm working on a provocative show, titled Death and the Maidens, for the Dance Umbrella 2012. Tragic heroines in dance and literature fascinate me, along with the lack of motivation for their madness and suicide. The show is about the restrictions placed on women by the church, and about a "sick" priest, John the Baptist.

• Masilo performs on March 3 and 4 at The Dance Factory in Newtown

THE STORE REPORT

Best shopping experience?

Buying my Witchery jacket from Stuttafords (www.stuttafords.co.za). It's still making me happy.

Favourite shop?

Young Designers Emporium (www.yde.co.za). I think they have good quality clothes at reasonable prices.

Favourite city to shop in?

Anywhere in Europe where they have an H&M.

Best coffee shop?

Kaldi's in Newtown (No 1 Central Place, Jeppe Street). I spend a lot of time there. Though I don't have a sweet tooth, I think they make great chocolate and carrot cake.

Where do you buy your bread and milk?

Pick n Pay, Spar, or Woolworths, it doesn't matter. It depends which one is the closest.