Jessica Payne

Principal • Joined Colorado Ballet in 2020

Hometown: San Clemente, California

Jessica Payne is from San Clemente, California. She received her training at Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy under the direction of Dmitri and Jennifer Kulev in southern California. In 2015, she joined Tulsa Ballet’s second company and was promoted into the main company the following year, where she continued to dance until joining Colorado Ballet in 2020. Her featured roles include Odette & Odile in Swan Lake, Alice in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland), Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the principal couple in George Balanchine’s Rubies, Bellino in Kenneth Tindall’s Casanova, Waltz Girl and Russian Girl in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Olympe in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, 3rd Pas de Deux in Jirí Kilyan’s Petite Mort, Waltz Clara, Sugar Plum, and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, Pink in Clark Tippet's Bruch Violin Concerto, and Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle. She was promoted to Soloist in 2022 and to Principal in 2024.