Baker Artist Portfolios

Zoë Brielle Payne is a dancer, multidisciplinary artist and educator. 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 earning 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.

Zoë started her contemporary dance company, ZBRI, in 2019. They perform in schools, community centers and festivals to share how professional dance can connect and inspire community. They have recently toured to perform in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Virginia as well as multiple performances around Maryland & DC. They have received an audience choice award from the Charm City Fringe Festival in 2023 and are set to perform for them again in May 2026.

Payne is currently dancing with the Dance & Bmore Ensemble directed by CJ Philips. She has also danced with the West Virginia Dance Company, touring works by internationally recognized choreographers and was a member of the corps de ballet for the Washington National Opera’s premier of Turandot choreographed by Jessica Lang and Kanji Segawa and performed at the Kennedy Center. Payne also has several film credits including as choreographer for a TV Mini Series, Identity Sessions (2025), Production Assistant for Katherine Helen Fisher’s “Scattered Place” and Taso Papadakis’ short film series focused on Zoë filmed in the Joshua Tree Reserve & Sand Dunes.

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.