Polka Nightspot is what you get when you take a boy from Western Sydney, fuel him with a passion for ballroom dance, and let him loose with a round-the-world plane ticket. By the age of 21, Malcolm Rene Laurent had competed in ballroom championships in the US, South America, China and Europe, but it wasn’t until he took his first solo recreational trip at 25 that he discovered the thriving nightlife cultures of the world and fell in love with places such as Paris, Ibiza, Chicago, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Tokyo and so many more.

Since returning to Australia, Laurent has made its his mission to re-imagine an uplifting culture of nocturnal dance clubs for a new audience. “Young and old alike are hungry for something like this in this part of the world,” he says. “I want to provide it in a format that is welcoming, not alienating.”

With the industry expertise and financial help of his uncle, lauded restaurateur Rene MacDonald (known for groundbreaking past projects Roman Bath and Geochasm), Laurent launched Polka Nightspot in March, 2019.