Grace Sellwood

Associate Lecturer in Dance

I'm a dance performer, dance teacher, aerial performer, matwork and aerial pilates instructor, choreographer and dreamer working from my base in Cornwall, UK.​​​ I began my full time dance training at Roehampton University graduating with a 1st class BA (hons) in 2008. After which I joined Mapdance company touring Nationally and Internationally whilst also completing an MA in Dance Performance at Chichester University. During this time I worked with choreographers Shobana Jeyasingh, Ben Wright, Charles Linehan, Liz Aggiss & Lalia Diallo.​​​After being involved in many different dance projects with companies such as Cscape Dance, Angela Praed, Freefall Dance, I wanted to pursue something in a different realm, so I turned my focus to aerial performance.

In 2013 I feel in love with aerial harness work, particularly vertical dance and bungee dance. Since then I have worked extensively, as an aerial performer, with both Wired Aerial Theatre (As The World Tipped, To Me, To You) and Yskynna Vertical Dance (Hyreth, Bligh Spirit), travelling Nationally and Internationally to various music and arts festivals including Sziget/ Budapest, Angers/ France, Santiago/ Chile, Womadalaide/ Australia (with Wired) and Glastonbury/ UK, Boomtown/ UK with Yskynna. I also am very proud of working and touring with Golden Tree Productions as one of their puppeteers for Man Engine, the largest mechanical puppet ever constructed in Britain (2016 & 2018). ​

I have recently become a Master Trainer for Bungee Workout TM created by Wired Aerial Theatre, and have also taught as an Associate ​​Lecturer at Falmouth University for the last 8 years, teaching floor based technique for 2nd - 3rd years.I also regularly teach Pilates for Cscape Pilates, and have most recently gained my qualification (and love for!) Aerial Pilates with Air Control Pilates, becoming the first qualified Aerial Pilates teacher in Cornwall & Devon. ​In 2010, I co-founded Freefall Dance classes based in Falmouth, and have over the past 10 years, built up a never-ending and constantly growing, Freefall 'family' who regularly attend our weekly classes. These classes are thriving, and incorporate a mixture of ages (17 - 75!) and mixture of backgrounds and experiences. A class I look forward to teaching every week! For more info about how to get involved with these classes, please visit: www.freefalldance.co.uk

External Links

Contact details

Email grace.sellwood@falmouth.ac.uk
Dancer in the air
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Dancer swinging another dancer high up into the air
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Dancers performing vertically up a wall attached by safety ropes
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Dancer in a horizontal position held by a safety rope
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Two figures lying horizontally one above the other
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    Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Year Qualification Awarding body
    2018 Aerial Pilates Teacher Training Air Control
    2013 Pilates Matwork Teacher Training Pilates Foundation
    2009 MA Dance Performance
    2008 BA (Hons) Dance Studies

    Membership of external committees

    Equity

    Research Interests

    Research interests and expertise

    Floor work (including Flying- Low Technique)
    Training for floor work - e.g. Ido Portal, Fighting Monkey
    Pilates for dancers
    Bodywork
    Vertical Dance
    Bungee Dance
    Counterweighting
    Movement for Actors/ Performance
    Character work/ development

    Research Outputs

    Publications and research outputs

    • Blonska, Agnieszka, Dobson, Emily and Sellwood, Grace

      (2016), Wild Women, In: Scratch, 29.01.2016, Grampound Hall, Cornwall

    • Birch, Simon, Dobson, Emily and Sellwood, Grace

      (2015), Words Move… commissioned by Freefall Dance, In: Words Move, 2015 tour, Cornwall, Item availability may be restricted.

    Events

    2011 Co-produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Cai Tomos, Victoria Fox, Rahel Vonmoos

    Events

    2012 Co-produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Ben Wright, Annie Lok, James Finnemore, Caroline Lofthouse

    Events

    2013 Co-produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Yael Flexer, Helen Parlor, Charlotte Eatock

    Events

    2014 Co-produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Joss Arnott, Charlotte Eatock, Simon Birch, Clare Meardon, Amely Instance, Primal Fitness

    Events

    2015 Impustanz Training (Vienna) -- David Zambrano (Flying-low technique), Laura Aris (The Playful Body), Ultmia Vez (Rep workshop)

    Events

    2015 Co-produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Luke Birch, KJ Mortimer, Simon Birch, Tom Jackson-Greaves, Charlotte Eatock, Sally Knight

    Events

    2016 Co produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Nikki O'Hara, Harlan Rust, Luke Birch, Charlotte Eatock, Simon Birch, Sally Knight

    Events

    2017 Co-produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Lotte Dekkers, Victoria Fox, Sioda Martin, Rob Mennear

    Events

    2018 Vertical Dance Forum: 'Blank Canvas Lab' Ireland. June 13th - 19th Collaboration between VDF choreographers to learn more about each other’s practice, alongside a professional mentor posing questions around the theme of collaboration.

    Events

    2018 Air Control Pilates: Aerial Pilates Teacher Training Level 1. Greece. 5 days

    Events

    2019 Produced Freefall Summer Intensive: Becky Namguads, Becci Williams, Kuldip Singh-Barmi, Kay Crook

    Events

    2020 Produced Freefall Summer Intensive ONLINE: Rose Sall Sao, Kay Crook, Aaron Vickers, Amely Instance, Sally Knight

    Teaching

    Areas of teaching

    • Contemporary technique (floor work based)
    • Pilates

    Courses taught

    • Dance & Choreography BA(Hons)

    Policy engagement within Cornwall

    Engagement with organisations which contribute to the development of educational, cultural or socio-economic policies in Cornwall

    Artistic Director, Freefall Dance, Cornish based Dance organisation - dance training for community & professionals
    Co-director, Off The Wall Aerial Dance Circus - performance & workshops
    Aerial performer, Wired Aerial Theatre -- International/ National touring
    Pilates Instructor, Cscape Pilates, A Cornwall based Pilates company


    Professional Engagement

    Independent professional practice

    Performance
    2020
    Wired Aerial Theatre, As The World Tipped -- Womadelaide, Adelaide, Australia
    2019
    Wired Aerial Theatre, As The World Tipped -- Wentworth, UK
    Urban Playground, Zoo Humans -- National Tour (May - October)
    2018
    Urban Playground, Zoo Humans -- Performance Parkour, Schools Tour
    Wired Aerial Theatre, To Me, To You...re-development & Tour
    Wired Aerial Theatre, As The World Tipped -- Chile/ Budapest, Tour
    Golden Tree Productions, Man Engine -- National tour
    Yskynna Vertical Dance, Milan -- Royal William Yard Performance
    2017 
    Urban Playground, One Language Is Never Enough -- Cornwall, R&D
    Wired Aerial Theatre, As The World Tipped -- France, Performance
    Yskynna Vertical Dance, If You Go Down To The Woods -- Cornwall, Multiple Performances
    Wired Aerial Theatre, To Me, To You -- UK National Tour     (Bungee and dance)
    Glastonbury Festival, Game On! -- Festival, Multiple Performances
    Boomtown Fair, Stage Takeovers -- Festival, Multiple Performances
    Yskynna Vertical Dance, Bligh Spirit -- Cornwall, Performance
    2016
    Yskynna Vertical Dance, BBC Children in Need -- Live TV, Performance
    Yskynna Vertical Dance, Hyreth -- Plymouth, Multiple Performances
    Golden Tree Productions, Man Engine -- Cornwall, Tour
    Me, But Bigger - Grace Clayton -- Cornwall, Mutiple Performances
    Freefall Dance, Wild Women -- Cornwall, Performance
    Boomtown Fair, Stage Takeovers -- Festival, Multiple Performances
    Glastonbury Festival, Transmission -- Festival, Multiple Performances
    2015
    Freefall Dance, Awakening -- South West, Tour (Yael Flexer & Simon Birch)
    Sophie Colthurst Dance Projects, Bundles of Perceptions -- Intnl, Film
    2014
    Gemma Abbott, Fascinate -- National, Film
    2013 
    Cscape Dance, Glendurgan Gold -- Cornwall, Multiple Performances
    Cscape Dance, The Venus Flower -- Cornwall, Multiple Performances
    Rob Garwood, Repeat -- International, Film
    2012
    Cscape Dance, December Magic -- Cornwall, Multiple Performances
    Emily Dobson, Effete -- Cornwall, Multiple Performances
    Angela Praed, Duet for a Bed of Leaves -- PDSW, Performance
    2011
    Attik Dance, Market Bizarre -- Plymouth, Multiple Performances

    Choreography
    2019
    307 --     Six women, with an average age of 51 between them, all on different paths, and at different stages of that path. Take a glance into their lives to see, similarities, differences, quirks, habits, memories, poems they can never forget, and some stubborn personality traits. ​If there was one thing you could describe as you, what would it be?With a collective age of 307 years, dive into 6 individuals lives, which one is more like you?​​
    Choreography: Grace Sellwood in collaboration with the dancers
    Directed by: Grace Sellwood
    Performed By: Tamsin Blight, Clare Lowry, Chalotte Luke, Yael Matt, Jilly Slater & Cathy Whitmore​
    This choreography is still in the process of development. Aiming to complete & tour in 2021.

    24 --     An insight into the life of Charlotte Luke, aged 24. What really makes her tick? What makes her...well, her? Can you deconstruct someone to the bare bones of who they are in 20 mins? An electric mix in snippets of her memories, collections and experiences as we join Charlotte in her life at the age of 24.​
    ​A 2019 Commission from Charlotte Luke (DYCP - ACE funded) 
    Choreography: Grace Sellwood in collaboration with Charlotte Luke
    Directed by: Grace Sellwood
    Performed by: Charlotte Luke
    Voiceover: Ollie McFarlane