Payton Stansbury is a performer, choreographer, and disability advocate located in Denton, Texas. Originally from Austin, Stansbury began her dance training in 2011 at Lonestar Dance Center for Performing Arts as a member of Energy Dance Company. As a member of EDC for over six years, Stansbury developed skills in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and lyrical while participating in regional dance competitions and conventions throughout Texas. 
In 2016, Stansbury became a member of the award-winning Hendrickson High School Silver Dancers drill team. As a member, Stansbury continued her training in tap, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop, while additionally being introduced to styles of kick and contemporary. Stansbury was a line member, junior lieutenant, and first lieutenant during her time as a Silver Dancer, all while she continued to assist in teaching at Lonestar Dance Center. 
Following her high school graduation in 2019, Stansbury began working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree at Texas Woman’s University in Denton with a major in Dance Studies and a minor in Business Administration, where she was introduced to modern dance and improvisation.

While attending TWU, Stansbury was able to perform at multiple events, including the Texas Woman's University Nursing Program's 50th Anniversary Gala, the 2021 MFA Culminating Project Concert, and American College Dance Association (ACDA) at Lamar University. Stansbury was also a member of Transcend Motion company's season two, where she worked under directors Sarah Tran and Annalise Boydston to perform in their 2022 concert "SUBMERGED". 
In addition to participation in multiple performances while attending TWU, Stansbury also premiered her first choreographic work, "invisABILITY", which was created to display the complex experiences of living with unseen disabilities. The presentation of this piece allowed Stansbury to discover her passion for activism within artmaking and collaborate with those facing underrepresentation. “invisABILITY“ was shared with audiences at the Texas Woman’s University Dance UpClose Concert in the Fall of 2022. 
After completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in the summer of 2023, Stansbury seeks out opportunities to create art and find connections within communities throughout the DFW metroplex. In the future, Stansbury plans to attend graduate school pursuing an interest in researching the relationships between dance and disability.