Diadie Bathily
Artistic Director
Diádié Bathily (pronounced Jah-Jay) is the artistic director of Afriky Lolo, a dance company based in St. Louis that he founded in 2003 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2007. Diádié is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, instructor and costume designer. He has danced professionally for over 30 years on stages in Africa, Europe and North America. Diádié’s specialty is West African dance. He has conducted master classes and workshops throughout Europe and north America and has performed with or choreographed for such notable companies as the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (Denver, CO), the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts & Humanities (East St. Louis, IL), Ecole de Danse et d’Echange Culturel with Ms. Marie Rose Guiraud (Ivory Coast) and Broadway Dance Center (New York, NY). Diádié is the recipient of the n’gowa Prize for dance in Ivory Coast and has performed at the United nations, the Village of Arts and Humanities in Philadelphia and many festivals and events around the U.S.