Born into the sacred stilt-dancing tradition of the Mahouka people in northwest Ivory Coast, Vado Diomande was born to dance. His father and uncle taught him the sacred ways, and soon Vado demonstrated rare excellence in the age-old customs. Discovered as an adolescent by talent scouts, Vado joined the budding
Ballet National de Cote D’Ivoire in Abidjan
, training in the traditional dances of over 60 ethnic groups of the Ivory Coast. Hailed as a captivating performer internationally, Vado’s career as a principal dancer spanned 15 years in the
Ballet. Most impressive were his acrobatic dances of the
Tall Mask, “God of the Sacred Forest”, Gue-Pelou. In 1989, Vado established his own dance company,
L’Ensemble Kokiegna d’Abidjan, in Abidjan, touring Ivory Coast and Australia. He re-established his company in New York City in 1994 as
Kotchegna Dance Company, developing a corps of multicultural dancers and a repertoire that is widely loved and admired. As a master dance teacher, his inspiration leads his students to pursue both dancing and drumming, in true African tradition. He taught at the Djoniba Dance & Drum Centre from 1994 - 2006, as well as at Alvin Ailey, Manhattanville College, Fareta, Ifetayo, PMT Studio, New Dance Group and Black River Studios and gives workshops to schools and colleges everywhere.
