When a former teacher told Tanesha Payne (she/they), “the world is a stage,” she embodied it and never looked back. As a movement artist based in San Antonio, TX, she performs, choreographs, educates, and advocates for all things dance. She holds a BFA in Dance Studies from Texas State University and an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University. While she values academia and the doors it has opened for her, she draws equal inspiration from her life experience that helps develop her creative processes and affective presence on stage and as an educator.
Her affinity for new experiences has provided her with various opportunities. In addition to
being a Wolf Trap teaching artist, she has had the privilege of working closely with Jennifer Archibald, Alonzo King, Michael Foley, Rennie Harris’s Puremovement, and Lula Washington, to name a few. Most recently, Tanesha’s work was featured in the documentary The Quilt: A Living History of African American Music, three national Dell commercials, and The Public Theatre’s production of Once on This Island: A musical. She is passionate about the communal nature of dance and the simple fact that it allows our bodies to speak. Tanesha's appreciation for humanity fuels her passion for movement and supports her love of collaboration.
"I am made and remade continually"
- VIRGINIA WOOLF
