Sayward Grindley is originally from North Carolina, where she attended East Carolina University's School of Theatre and Dance. She graduated from ECU Magna Cum Laude with a dual Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance and Dance Education. She was the recipient of the Mavis Ray Ballet Scholarship and the Rosiland Roulston Award, which is the highest honor given to a graduate of the School of Theatre and Dance from East Carolina University. While in school at ECU, Mrs. Grindley was president of the East Carolina Dance Association for two years, was Committee Member for the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series, was Committee Member and Choreographer for Pitt County and Cary/Apex Jr. Miss Scholarship Programs. She also performed with the East Carolina Performing Group for three years and in East Carolina Dance Theatre for five years. She also had experience working in Costume Design and Construction, Stage Management, House Management, and Set Design; specifically, Paint and Props.

Mrs. Grindley has had extensive ballet training with Galina Panova (formerly with 22 international ballet companies), Joseph Carow (formerly with ABT and former Artistic Director of New Jersey Ballet), and Cindy Mancini (formerly with New Jersey Ballet). She also received training in modern and jazz from Patti Weeks, Pat Pertalion, Tommi Galaska, Rodger Bellman, Martin Kravitz, Dr. Dawn Clark, Tere O'Connor, Jeffrey Bullock, Robin Harris, Carol Parker, Leymis Bolanos Wilmott, Rachel Inman and many others. She has also trained and performed at many festivals and workshops around the country including American Dance Festival, American College Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, Florida Dance Festival, and Florida Dance Educator's Conference. She presented "Integrating Technology and the Arts" at the Southeast Regional Teaching and Technologies Conference in 2004 and "A Community within a Community" at the Arts Schools Network Conference in Oakland, California in 2007.

Some of Mrs. Grindley's favorite performance experiences were in Elie Lazar's "Innocent Tryst", Brunilda Ruiz and Paul Sutherland's "I've Got Rhythm", Tere O'Connor's "Sara Jessica Work In Progress", and Gerri Houlihan's "Every Little Movement". She was also a Principal Dancer for the internationally televised Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1999 Special Olympics World Games, as well as Miss North Carolina Pageants 2003 and 2004. Her musical theatre highlights were in "Annie Get Your Gun", Dance Captain for "The Music Man" and Dance Captain for "Pirates of Penzance". She appeared as leading Guest Artist and Rehearsal Director for Wilson Art's Council's "The Nutcracker". She has performed in Chicago at the Chicago Theatre Building and New York City at the Alvin Ailey Theatre, in Maine, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, throughout North Carolina and Florida in modern, jazz and ballet works. Her original choreography "No Need to be a Dating Dud" was chosen to be presented at the American College Dance Festival in 2005.

Mrs. Grindley has been teaching ballet as well as modern, jazz, creative movement and tap for over ten years. Before becoming the Education Director for the Sarasota Ballet, Mrs. Grindley was the Director of Dance at Booker Middle School's Visual and Performing Arts Program. While running this Dance Program, she was able to choreograph many original works, including her ballet of "Anastasia". She has also on the Dance Faculty at Manatee School for the Arts where she taught ballet, modern, and jazz choreographed for the musical, "Guys and Dolls Jr". She has taught and choreographed for numerous schools throughout Florida and North Carolina including Goldsboro Civic Ballet, NC Academy of Dance Arts, Dance Arts Theatre, Wilson Arts Council, Dancebeat, Inc., Dance Unlimited, Stocks Elementary School, Studio of Dance and Music and many others. Locally, she has performed with Sarasota Players and Manatee Players, and has been a Company Member of local modern dance company, Fuzion Dance Artists since 2006. Mrs. Grindley is also the Head Dance Adjudicator for the Walker's Rising Stars Scholarship Competition for Pinellas County. She currently resides in North Port with her husband, Eric.