Lacina Coulibaly was born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. His professional dance career, deeply rooted in traditional African dances, later merged with contemporary influences to create a uniquely African choreographic expression.
In 1995, Lacina created the Cie Kongo Bâ Teria with Souleymane Badolo and Ousseni Sako. One of their Vin Nem (2001) toured the world and won international awards. Vin Nem toured more than 30 cities in Europe in 2002 and throughout the United States in 2004 on the Movement (R)Evolution tour. Coulibaly is a featured artist in the documentary Movement (R)evolution Africa, on the emergent experimental African dance scene. Lacina has toured in Africa, Europe, and the US collaborated and worked with Nora Chipuamire, Kota Yamakazi, Emily Coates, Daria Fain, Wendy Jehlen, Salia ni Seydou, Faso Danse Theatre, Urban Bush Women, etc.
He has taught in faculty and worked with universities like Brown University, Yale University, University of Florida, Cornell University, New School, UCLA, Sarah Lawrence College, Barnard College, and so on.
Coulibaly’s unique blend of traditional and modern influences results in dynamic intellectual and artistic processes that intrigue and inspire young artists and audiences. Lacina’s choreography often provokes questions about the (dis)integration of the traditional and the contemporary. He is currently on the faculty at Yale University and the director of Compagnie Hakilisigi.