| Kherington Payne | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kherington Taylor Payne |
| Born | January 26, 1990 |
| Origin | Whittier, California, United States |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop |
| Occupations | Dancer, actress, television personality, singer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | A&M (2010-present) |
| Associated acts | Pussycat Dolls, Dance Recital |
Kherington Taylor Payne (born January 26, 1990) is an American dancer and actress who came to prominence as a Top 10 Finalist in Season 4 of the hit reality-dance show So You Think You Can Dance and in a role in the 2009 reinvention of the movie Fame. She's been a principal dancer for Katy Perry, and is also a lead cast member on E! reality show "The Dance Scene". Payne was a brief member of the third line-up of the girl group The Pussycat Dolls.
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Payne was born in Whittier, California, the daughter of Sheri Ashe (née Bigcraft) and Rick Payne and granddaughter of Charles Payne.[1] She has been taking formal dance lessons since she was 2 years old at Dance Precisions, located in Placentia, Ca. She graduated from El Dorado High School on June 10, 2008 and now lives in Placentia, California while pursuing her dance career. Kherington specializes in contemporary jazz, and is also trained in lyrical, ballet, pointe and gymnastics.[2] Apart from dance, she is also an avid soccer fan who has played for many years.[3] Kherington is the cousin of The Bolts brothers Addam, Heath, and Austin Farmer.
In 2008, Kherington competed on Season 4 of the hit reality-dance show So You Think You Can Dance. After being the youngest competitor selected to be a part of the Top 20 that year, the then 18-year-old contemporary/jazz dancer was paired up with hip-hop dancer Stephen 'tWitch' Boss. The duo, also known as "Twitchington", performed many memorable routines and were extremely popular with audiences. Having made the Top 10, Kherington later toured the country that fall with her fellow season 4 "IV REAL" finalists.[4]
| Week | Partner | Dance | Song | Choreographer(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen 'tWitch' Boss | Broadway | "Too Darn Hot" from Kiss Me, Kate | Tyce Diorio | Safe |
| 2 | Viennese Waltz | "A New Day Has Come"—Celine Dion | Jean-Marc Généreux and France Mousseau | Safe | |
| 3 | Hip-hop | "Don't Touch Me (Throw da Water on 'em)"—Busta Rhymes | Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo |
Safe | |
| 4 | Paso Doble | "Malagueña"—Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special | Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin | Safe | |
| Contemporary | "Dreaming With a Broken Heart"—John Mayer | Mia Michaels | |||
| 5 | Krump | "2 Buck 4 TV"—Tha J-Squad | Lil' C | Bottom 3 | |
| Tango | "Assassin's Tango" from Mr. and Mrs. Smith | Jean-Marc Généreux and France Mousseau | |||
| Results show solo | "All We Are"—OneRepublic | ||||
| 6 | Mark Kanemura | Country-western two-step | "Kick Back"—Ty England | Ronnie DeBenedetta and Brandi Jobais | Eliminated |
| Jazz | ""Canned Heat"—Jamiroquai | Tyce Diorio | |||
| Performance show solo | "Breakin' Dishes"—Rihanna | ||||
| Results show solo | "Myphilosophy"—Inner | ||||
After the show she went on to play a reform school girl with fellow Season 4 contestants Katee Shean and Comfort Fedoke in the "Bootylicious" number in the "Hairography" episode of the television show Glee.[5] She later starred as Alice Ellerton in the 2009 reinvention of the movie Fame,[6] which opened in theaters in September 2009. Kherington will appear as a checkout girl in the upcoming indie-movie musical Leading Ladies,[7] starring Melanie LaPatin and Benji Schwimmer.
In early 2010, Kherington performed as a backup dancer for Katy Perry at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, and was also featured prominently in the music video for Perry's summer smash-hit 'California Gurls' as the 'Peppermint Girl'. In May, Payne was announced as a new member of the Pussycat Dolls, but her absence during later shows led many to believe that she'd left the group.[8] In June, Kherington played the role of Potiphar's wife[9] in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, at the Lincoln Theater in Napa Valley. In early August, Kherington danced with P Diddy and Dirty Money crew at the Teen Choice Awards, to their hit track 'Hello Good Morning'.
Throughout August and September, Kherington joined Katy Perry on her Teenage Dream promo tour, performing at private concerts around the world, including television appearances on The Today Show, Italy's X-Factor, Germany's Wetten, dass..? and the Season 36 season premiere of Saturday Night Live. During that time she also performed on the American version of Dancing With The Stars for rock band Daughtry during the performance of their song 'September'. Whilst pursuing her career, Kherington also teaches and assists at various dance studios and conventions in and around America.
In November, Kherington performed a number of shows in Los Angeles with a girl group called Dance Recital.[10] Payne was featured in the E! docu-drama, The Dance Scene in 2011. The series followed choreographer Laurieann Gibson and her dancers as they lived and worked in the LA dance/entertainment industry.[11] The show first premiered April 10 on the E! Network in the United States, and has since been broadcast in many countries around the world.
In early 2011, Kherington appeared in the Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman romantic comedy No Strings Attached as a 'frat party dancer'. In February 2011, she appeared as a featured dancer on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "All That Cremains." Later that month she performed with Katy Perry on the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. In September, she made her second appearance on Dancing With The Stars as part of Macy’s Stars Of Dance in a Busby Berkeley-inspired number choreographed by Marguerite Derricks, who had previously choreographed Kherington in Fame.