On Wednesday 8th March, The Met welcomed Girl Gang Manchester to our Derby Hall to host a night of dance, music, fun and empowerment to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The evening began with a dance session led by Kinetic Dance and Wellbeing, encouraging attendees to express themselves and connect with each other through the power of movement (and The Spice Girls!).

We heard some inspiring words from Kiana, Soudabeh and Maria who spoke of the current political and social struggles affecting the women of Iran and Ukraine. Their moving stories demonstrated how women are resisting and leading in times of war, conflict and revolution and served as an important reminder that the struggle for women’s equity affects us all, no matter where we’re from.

Former Youth Music participant Prinny Moni gave an amazing performance of some of her original music. We couldn’t agree more with Girl Gang host Megan: “I think we’ve all found our new favourite artist!”.

Rounding off the performances for the evening was Manchester poet Gemma Lees, who treated us to some beautiful and hilarious spoken word about the trials and triumph of the female experience.

Throughout the event, guests could explore stalls from a range of organisations including Bury Blind Society, mum’s group Happy Me and SafeNetUK, a domestic abuse support line. There were also craft tables, a photo booth and a pledge board where women were encouraged to write down their goals for the next year.

It was so wonderful to see women of all ages, backgrounds and orientations coming together to listen to each other, share experiences and celebrate our identities in such a fun and positive environment. To sum up the night, we’ll leave you with this quote from poet Lyndsay Rush; “Yes, I agree. She is a bit much… Aren’t we so lucky that she’s here?”

Huge thanks to Girl Gang Manchester for hosting this fantastic event.