Thursday, June 12, 2008

Afriky Lolo Dance Company to perform in Colleyville

By Anne Marie Weiss-Armush of DFW International

The Afriky Lolo Dance Company will tell the traditional fable of The Goddess Zaouli, a West African story about love, jealousy, redemption and compassion on Saturday, July 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Colleyville Center. With intense and spell-binding choreography, brilliant costumes from Ivory Coast, and the accompaniment of dramatic drumming, the performance takes us on a journey into West African dance, drumming, and culture.

This is Afriky Lolo's first visit to North Texas. The St. Louis-based group has performed regularly to sold-out audiences. For more information, see their webpage at afrikylolo.com.

Afriky Lolo, founded and led by Diadié Bathily, is a West African dance non-profit corporation that is committed to bringing West African dance and culture to the St. Louis, Missouri, community through teaching and performing. Bathily is a Master dancer from the Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. He immigrated to the United States in 1998. He has a strong personal and professional desire to share the beauty, culture and passion of West African dance with Americans, especially African Americans.

Diadié Bathily has danced professionally for over 30 years and has performed professionally for Marie-Rose Guiraud’s Les Guirivoires, Adama Drame, Wara Danse (his company in the Cote d’Ivoire), and Diadié Bathily Dance (in the United States). Bathily is an experienced teacher who specializes in traditional dances from Mali, the Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Ghana. He teaches and performs in St. Louis elementary and secondary schools and at local universities, colleges, and dance studios throughout the Midwest. Throughout the school year, Bathily teaches and gives workshops at local elementary and secondary public schools, at Washington University and at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Bathily also choreographs original pieces for university dance companies.

Diadié Bathily formed Afriky Lolo - meaning African Star - in 2003. The company has 75 dancers – ranging in age from 6 to over 60 --and 8 drummers.

Pegasus News content partner - DFW International

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