Whether gliding across the stage as a ballerina, following the camera’s shutter, or swiftly switching personalities from one role to another, Egyptian artist Nada Abadir is always on the move.
One way to put it is that she’s slowly choreographing her career with art at the core, yet all these seemingly-different career paths came unplanned.
“I try not to analyze it too much. I think things find you when you least expect them, but somehow looking back, they all feel interconnected,” she said.
Out of them all, modeling was her first medium, where she grew comfortable in front of the camera and became the canvas of the region’s most iconic clothing items.
Her face became recognizable across different fronts, working closely with names like Dubai Fashion Week, Vogue Arabia, YSL Beauty and New York’s GOJI magazine.
The ultimate source of inspiration, however, is ballet, where she learnt the wonders of expressing yourself creatively.
Every move came with both grace and intention, and this balance influenced how she carried herself for years to come.
“Looking back, so much of what I learned through ballet still shows up in the way I work, perform, and carry myself in my work. It shapes far more than technique,” she elaborates.
This is why when she ventured into acting, the setting already felt familiar. She had already spent years on the stage, dedicated her youth to the long training hours, and knew how much discipline it takes to keep going.
But while modeling and dancing make her the focal point, acting totally strips her back off that.
“With acting, you embody someone else. You become no one, you are nothing and don’t know anything at all. That thought is freeing, it reminds me that I’m here for a journey that will teach me something and that’s truly it,” Nada reflected.
Her most notable acting contribution was in the biography ‘El Sett,’ where her character was one among many reflecting Umm Kulthumm’s international fanbase.
Despite the short screentime, the experience reinforced her love for being on camera, where she discovered it’s all about listening, being present, and letting go of any expectations.
“The other forms of art I practice require a certain amount of control. But with acting, I’m forced to let go of expectations and outcomes,” she further explained.
The culmination of these experiences led her to her most-recent venture: design.
Having launched her own fashion label ‘Nuu Studio’ earlier in 2025, the multidisciplinary artist is moving from simply wearing to creating.
She blends the ballerina’s precision and the actor’s creativity to create pieces launched in small capsule collections, which she humbly describes as ‘simple,’ despite the daunting process it takes to create them.
Her personal style is the ultimate muse behind Nuu, creating pieces she’d personally love to wear, and hoping it resonates with her customers. And it does.
Pleated tops, satin dresses, patterned shorts, they scream ‘Nada’ all over but somehow can fit anyone like it’s their own.
“We sew before pleating, we figure out the size before it shrinks. It takes a lot to get it just right, and for the first time ever, I have full control of the outcome,” Nada said as she compared design and her other ventures.
But beyond the stitching, the scripts and the pirouettes, there’s a deeper journey brewing just beyond the surface.
In a world where everyone is obsessed with finding a niche and sticking to it, Nada Abadir is embracing the joys of being a jack of all trades.
“It’s freeing to know no one is really watching. There is so much to look forward to learning, doing and growing from,” she reflected.
