Founder of ZBRI & Co-Producer of Kaleidoscope
Zoë Brielle Payne is a dancer, multidisciplinary artist and educator from Belington, West Virginia. She is also the Founding Director of ZBRI, a dance ensemble based in Baltimore Maryland that performs locally and tours regionally. She received her BFA in Dance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and is getting her MFA in Community Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art. As an Appalachian artist, her work is inspired by rural landscapes and the rich depth of social connections that stem from communal support networks.
ZBRI, which began in 2019, is a contemporary dance company that performs in schools, community centers, and festivals to share how professional dance can connect and inspire community. In the fall of 2025, they performed in Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and the greater DMV.
Payne is currently dancing with the Dance & Bmore Ensemble directed by CJ Philips. From 2024-2025 she danced with the West Virginia Dance Company, touring works by internationally recognized choreographers. In May 2024, she performed at The Kennedy Center as part of the Washington National Opera’s premiere of Turandot choreographed by Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa.
Zoë is a member of Peabody Institute’s Preparatory Dance Program’s staff, teaching ages 4- adult classes. She also teaches theatre at Sisters Academy of Baltimore and has been a long-time guest choreographer with the Augusta Youth Ballet Company. Her STEAM programming and visual art workshops take shape through her work with Augusta Heritage Center’s Folk Arts for Kids program since 2019.