Naledi Withers

Naledi Withers is a Bristol-based theatre maker and is one half of Momentum Acts alongside Dana Day. She has extensive training in dance and theatrical performance including a BA(Hons) in Dance and Drama with Physical Theatre, and an MA in Performing Shakespeare. She has spent 15 years working as a dance teacher and community arts practitioner and also works as a professional storyteller. She has performed in dance, drama, and musical theatre productions from a young age, including high-profile performances for Southern African Presidents and Dignitaries in her home of Botswana.

Why do you do what you do?

For much of my life I have trained in both acting and dancing, and for the longest time felt that I had to prioritise one path over the other, it was a decision that never felt right to make. Setting up Momentum Acts with Dana Day, a fellow dancer/actor is allowing us to create work that plays to both strengths. It is our goal to build shows that can allow audiences to enjoy classical texts in new formats with highly physicalised performances.

What’s your role in SparkFest?

Momentum Acts’ contribution to SparkFest is ‘Othello Online’ (a production staged entirely on social media) and for this project, I was entirely behind the scenes as director and editor. You can also hear me in Moving Groves as Macbeth!