PAYTON PRIMER is from Dallas, Texas, where she trained at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While there, she was named a Contemporary/Modern Dance Finalist in the 2018 National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts YoungArts competition. Payton graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University/The Ailey School with three degrees: BFA in Dance, Anthropology, and International Studies with a concentration in Global Affairs. She has performed works by Paul Taylor, Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch, Peter Chu, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Omar Román De Jesús, among others. Payton has danced internationally in Armenia, Georgia, and Germany as well as nationally throughout the United States. She has also performed as a member of Gaspard and Dancers, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, Adams Company Dance, and Taylor Outreach Ensemble. She joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Winter 2025.
Portrait by Nir Arieli
