About Zoë Brielle Payne

I am a dancer, choreographer & educator from West Virginia. I create work that empowers others to realize that there is a world bigger than themselves; illuminating an experience of self awareness and contemplation through in person performances, films, and interactive art experiences. As an Appalachian artist, I feel drawn to non traditional spaces, creating site-specific art and incorporating architecture in the bodies in more formalized spaces to break the barriers of the stage. Through these experience I hope to challenge viewers to reexamine their connections to the community around them.

I find that my work is largely collaborative in nature, relying on the creative spark that emanates from invigorating collaborations with environments or people(dancers, musicians, audience members). As an educator, I aim to grow the love of art and nature with my students, inspiring people around me to create movement and embody values of confidence, strength and resiliency.

A multimedia media artist by nature, I also incorporate visual elements/ experiences that can add layers of dimension to my choreography and individual movement. I want to engage my audience in a sojourn or journey within themselves; more subjectively to a piece of the environment that they can relate to their own experiences. By making it a point to be human first and an artist second. My main inspiration comes from ephemeral moments of my environment, and through my art, I make them become timeless.

Biography

I am a dancer, choreographer, and educator from West Virginia. I am currently nomadic in practice for different gigs since I recently completed my BFA at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. I am the Creative Director of ZBri Dance Company where I collaborate with dancers and musicians to produce shows around the Baltimore area and have taken them into schools for outreach performance. I love to find the intersection of collaboration that satisfies my love of dancing, choreographing and teaching. My practice is ever evolving, growing through my engagement with WV’s Arts in our Communities Conference, the MDEA, and the NDEA.

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Other Creative Skills

Interdisciplinary (Pertaining to art forms/art works that integrate more than one arts discipline to form a single work. Include performance art.)
Media Arts: Video