Nadia

Nadia 

“This image is of me dancing in Gillet Square in Dalston.”

 “It was such an honour to be asked to dance at the Dalston Superstore’s 15th birthday rave in Gillet Square. The sun was bursting out of the sky for most of the day. I felt an amazing sense of well-being, surrounded by friends and happy strangers, dancing to the ‘stella DJ line’. Opening a queer space in Dalston 15 years ago was real trailblazer behaviour and I'm so proud Dalston Superstore is still going strong. Getting permission to have celebrations in the Gillet Square, so the maximum amount of people could enjoy the free party, says a lot about Dalston Superstore.”

 “In 2001 I moved from Halifax to London. I really wanted to recapture the sense of adventure I got from nights at The Hacienda, Hard Times, Speed Queen and Back to Basics. I knew then that Dalston was calling me….”

“I got to know Matt and Dan who run Dalston Superstore from parties and mutual friends, so when they opened we all wanted to support it. That support turned into an effortless endeavour because the bar was such a vibe, the musical programming was amazing, and the staff and security were so welcoming. Pure unadulterated joy being in a place with all your friends and really feeling part of something. As a straight woman Dalston Superstore is and has always been a safe space to wear what you like without judgement or harassment.”

“Circa 2015 ‘A Man To Pet’ asked me if I wanted to dance for him at his Basic Girls night and that was the start of me dancing at various nights at Dalston SS. I'd danced for Bloc 9 in the NYC downlow in the past and worked in PR at the time but had wanted to be a dancer when I was a little girl. It’s what make me happy.”