zoë brielle payne
August 2024-present West Virginia Dance Company
In August 2024, Zoe joined the West Virginia Dance Company under the direction of Toneta Akers Toler. Based in Beckley, WV the company works full time providing enriching public performances around WV and the Mid-Atlantic Region and take educational programming into schools through performances and workshops.
This season Zoe is performing work by Gerri Houlihan, Toneta Akers-Toler, Dane Toney and Donald Laney for their public performances.
WNO's Premiere of Turandot
by Jessica Lang & Kanji Segawa
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In Spring of 2024, Zoe was a member of the Washington National Opera's World Premiere of Turandot performed at The Kennedy Center under choreographers Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa. Read more about the opera and the process behind the work by Francesca Zambello in the NPR article below.
Guest Artist with Augusta Youth Ballet Company
Zoe joined the Augusta Youth Ballet Company as "The Huntress" for their Winter Production of Ballets of Enchantment where she was a feature guest artist in Firebird. She also stepped in as rehearsal assistant and coached the lead firebird through variation and pas de deux work.
Dance & Bmore Performance Ensemble
In Spring 2024, Zoe joined the Dance and Bmore Performance Ensemble taking an outreach performance into communities around Baltimore advocating with Johns Hopkins University Researchers for at risk populations to get Colon Cancer Screenings. She continued her work with Dance & Bmore by joining them this fall at their performance at the Baltimore Waterfront.
Java & Jazz at The Colonial Theater
Zoe stepped in to guest perform at West Virginia Weslyean College's event Java and Jazz at the Colonial Arts Center in Buckhannon, WV. She performed with Chicago's own Maggie Brown and WVU's Jazz band.
Peabody Dance Ensemble
From 2022-2023, Zoe was part of Peabody's Institute's Peabody Dance Ensemble. Performing work by Kelly Hirina, Mike Esperanza, Sorah Yang, and Michael Nickerson Rossi. She traveled to perform for the Palm Springs International Dance Festival and also performed around Baltimore and NYC during their year long season.
Kaleid Dance Collective
Grown from the curiosities of choreography. KDC under Rush Johnston has grown to be a plethora of site specific and mixed media musings. Zoe worked with them while at Peabody and continues to occasionally sit on their committee board. She traveled with them to perform in Elgin, IL, as well as Philadelphia, PA and virtually for WESTFEST Dance Festival.
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