SHELBY NILSEN

Shelby Nilsen (she/her) is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary dancer, performer, movement artist, and choreographer. Born and raised on Vancouver Island, BC, her practice centers movement as a tool for curiosity, catharsis, collaborative community, and storytelling.

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Shelby holds a BFA (with distinction) from the Performance Dance Program at Toronto Metropolitan University, along with a minor in psychology. Her versatile training includes  contemporary and improvisation, ballet, vernacular jazz, modern, stage combat, street styles, and West African alongside heels and tap.

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She has worked with choreographers such Hanna Kiel, Ryan Lee, Susie Burpee, David Norsworthy, Raoul Pillay/Wilke, Esie Mensah, Colleen Snell, Francesca Chudnoff, and Jac Valiquette. Shelby has also performed throughout the Greater Toronto Area with Frog in Hand, and has trained across Canada with RUBBERBAND (QC), Modus Operandi (BC), Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (AB), and spent two years with Toronto-based training company Kode Red.

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Select performance credits include The Mayor's Evening for the Arts, NIGHT/SHIFT at Citadel Compagnie, Ripe Fruit Dance Festival, Canada’s Walk of Fame 2023, and OTRA VEZ, the official music video for ESCO (ft. BEBEBOY), where she served as choreographer, dancer, and actor.