creating original story ballets meant to represent, reflect and reveal the triumphs and failures of modern society
About
Vaught Contemporary Ballet was founded in January 2015 by artistic director, Katie Vaught. VCB creates original story ballets meant to represent, reflect and reveal the triumphs and failures of modern society. The company is based in Baltimore, MD and has shown work at Baltimore Theatre Project, The Chrysalis, The Jack Guidone Theater, Joe’s Movement Emporium, and Dance Place.
The Company
Destiny Arlette Cooke
Destiny Arlette Cooke began training in ballet and modern with Studio A’s Modeling and Dance Academy, and competitive work with Western high school’s dance team. She went on to attend and graduate from Towson University, earning her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography. She has performed pieces by artists such as Lori S. Goodman, Amy Hall Garner, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, and had been a featured soloist in Will B. Bell’s original work POV [Point of View]. Her own choreographic work was accepted to KORESH Artists Showcase while in the midst of working professionally with Madeline Maxine Gorman’s ADDICT and then later, the start of Veritas. She has continued to receive apprenticeship opportunities with artists such as Yin Yue (YYDC) and B.MOORE DANCE, and has recently performed alongside the Country nominated talent of Miles Gannet in his music video, “Let’s Have Each Other for a While,” as well as Olga Aru (Aru Dell’Arte) in her original world premiered work, “Requiem Today.” As she currently paves her way freelancing, Destiny also finds passion in the creative direction of dance photography, visuals, and wishes to explore other commercial and artistic exposure for movers beyond the stage.
Zoë Brielle Payne
Zoë Brielle Payne is a West Virginian site-specific dance artist, choreographer, teaching artist, and student based in Baltimore MD. She dances to create and perform work that empowers others to realize that there is a world bigger and broader than themselves; to illuminate an experience of self-awareness and contemplation. To engage the audience in a sojourn, or journey within themselves, but also more subjectively to their environment. Her own choreographic work also incorporates her multimedia interests through projection, paint and external “found” materials. Zoë has a diverse dance background that includes a variety of western dance styles as well as West African, Baltimore Club, Swing Dancing & traditional Appalachian Square Dancing.
Melissa Lloyd
Melissa is a Fine Arts Alumni from the Community College of Baltimore County. She has also studied Dance at El Camino College in Los Angeles and The Performing Arts Academy in San Diego. In her professional career, she’s performed with Deep Vision Dance Company under the direction of Nicole Martinelle and Trajectory Dance Project, under the direction of Alice Howes. She has also performed at the Baltimore Dance Invitational under the choreography of Molly-Jean Kirkup. She has studied and performed with Zullo Raw Movement in New York under the direction of John J Zullo. She is very grateful to be dancing with VCB, and grateful to help keep the dance scene alive in Baltimore!
Katie Vaught, Artistic Director
Vaught trained at Vostrikov’s Academy of Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Shenandoah University. She danced with Mich-Mash Productions and Deviated Theatre and worked as a dance instructor in the DMV for over a decade. Her work has been shown at Baltimore Theatre Project, Joe’s Movement Emporium, The Chrysalis, The Jack Giudone Theater, Atlas Performing Arts Center, and Dance Place. She received the Marc Ryder Choreography Grant in 2017.
Vaught Contemporary Ballet 