Nadiyah Akbar
Co-Director and Choreographer
Nadiyah Akbar (she/her) is a contemporary dancer and co-director of A2 Company, born and raised on Gadigal Land with proud heritage to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Together with Ben Ashby, Nadiyah has built A2 into a bold dance and theatre company with a core focus on community activism, making three major works since 2023 that have toured Australia and Aotearoa to critical success — winning Best Theatre at Melbourne Fringe and the Excellence in Movement Award at the Wellington Theatre Awards.
As a performer, Nadiyah has lived and worked across Aotearoa and Australia, collaborating frequently with Joel Bray Dance most recently on Garabari (2026 National Tour, Sydney Opera House) and MONOLITH (Green Room Award for Best Creation 2026). She graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance (2017–2019) and spent two years with Footnote New Zealand Dance.
Nadiyah is interested in collaborative play between different mediums of performance art. She values bold and daring ideas that can clash and create chaos. She is inspired by having worked inside the processes of CONJAH, James O'Hara, Josie Archer & Kosta Bogievski and Joel Bray — specifically for their choreographic techniques and the safe and sustainable working environments they foster.
For Nadiyah's full CV or to get in touch, please reach out to a2companyprojects@gmail.com
