Payton’s love of dance started at the age of 3. For 16 years, she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip hop, and musical theater at various studios including Moore Than Dance and Northland School of Dance. She also danced on her high school’s dance team, making it to the state championship 5 years in a row.

She took a break from competitive dancing in college to focus on her Political Science degree, which she earned in 2019 from the University of Minnesota.

Payton returns to Moore Than Dance for her second year as a teacher, and her first year as the competition director. She can’t wait to see what this year has in store!