Nadiya was first introduced to Lindy Hop in 2016 and instantly fell in love with it. Since then she has become a devoted social dancer, instructor, competitor and performer. She has won and placed in many regional and national events such as the National Jitterbug Championships (Camp Hollywood), The Lone Star Championships (LindyFest), and Camp Jitterbug. With a love for social dancing, Nadiya highly values improvisation, musicality, and creativity in a dance partnership. She is especially passionate about fast Lindy, which for her is the perfect combination of artistry and athleticism. Based in Southern California, she teaches weekly at LindyGroove in Pasadena. As an instructor, she focuses on building the foundations of connection, technique, and awareness to create a conversational social dancing experience. Nadiya is continually inspired by the talented Lindy Hop community both locally and globally. She has been blessed to meet friends from all over the world and values that the Lindy Hop scene is a place where everyone is welcome. Andrew’s note: Nadiya is my current main competition partner. She rose to the challenge of competing with me at the highest level very well, with our first year at Camp Hollywood making the Open Lindy final, one of the most challenging Lindy hop competitions in the world. This year we are also the North American representatives at the ILHC All Star Strictly for the world finals this May. Nadiya has only been traveling for a year or two and is already dancing and competing at the highest level. I think she is a great example of a person deserving of the Nova Star award – someone that represents California to the worldwide swing dance scene.
Accomplishments/awards/honors: 1st Place – LindyFest Crossover Draw (March 2024) 1st Place – Camp Jitterbug Open Mix n Match (May 2023) 2nd Place – Minor Swing ILHC All-Star Strictly Qualifier (March 2024) 1st Place – Minor Swing Very SoCal Strictly (March 2023) 2nd Place – LindyFest Advanced Draw (March 2024) 2nd Place – Camp Hollywood Am Mix n Match (September 2023) 1st Place – Stormy Weather Jazz Festival Strictly (December 2023) 1st Place – Swingdependance Strictly (July 2023) 1st Place – Swingdependance Mix n Match (July 2023) 3rd Place – Lindy on the Rocks Strictly (September 2023)
https://youtu.be/oL2QbrQjWd0 Nadiya and Andrew Jose
https://youtu.be/F8IwIO6iSkk Nadiya and Josiah Keagy
https://youtu.be/SNURfYAE84g Nadiya and Anthony