Linda Cremin, dancer/artist

© Jenny Matthews, Hackney All Nations

I was born in Sofia in Bulgaria. I’ve been living in England since I was quite young but I’ve been travelling most of my young childhood life. As a child I travelled all over – my dad’s a Traveller, so we were in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Germany and Bulgaria, and always going back to Bulgaria but we always had a base in Hackney and I’d do my schooling in Hackney. When I say to people I travelled as a kid they’re always ‘Wow, that’s so exciting’ but really I didn’t have many friends; it was very lonely. I didn’t really know what was going to happen from one minute to the next. I wanted to be normal like other kids, be in school and stay home for Christmas. That’s the downside but on the other hand I think it’s made me the person I am today, it’s been interesting, it’s made me take risks and be more culturally aware of everything I do. It’s all part of what I’ve grown up with.