Julia Payne

Born and raised in Houston, TX, Julia Payne began her ballet training at Payne Academy of Ballet. After graduating high school, Julia attended the University of Oklahoma where she continued her training in the School of Dance under the direction of Michael Bearden. In 2019, she joined Texas Ballet Theater’s Studio Training Company where she performed in many works including Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.

Julia joined Sacramento Ballet as a trainee in 2021 and was promoted to SBII the following season. During those two years, she performed many classical and contemporary works by Anthony Krutzkamp, Jill Krutzkamp, Colby Damon, and Julia Feldman. Since Julia joined the company as an Apprentice in 2023, she has performed in Paul Vasterling’s Cinderella, Michael Pink’s Dracula, and Young Soon Hue’s Romeo and Juliet, to name a few. Julia is excited to continue dancing with Sacramento Ballet as a Company Artist.

Alongside dancing, Julia enjoys teaching ballet and other styles of dance. She is on faculty at the School of Sacramento ballet and teaches at other dance schools in the Sacramento area.