Souleymane ‘Solo’ Badolo was born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. He started his professional career as a dancer for the DAMA, a traditional African dance company, and in 1993, he founded his own Burkina Faso-based troupe, Kongo Ba Téria, fusing traditional African and western contemporary dance aesthetics. Solo has danced with the world-renowned Salia ni Seydou, worked with French choreographers Elsa Wolliaston and Mathilde Monnier, performed with the National Ballet of Burkina, choreographed for a number of companies, and developed a program at The Center of Dance, Music and Theatre in Rome. Solo currently teaches contemporary dance at Bard College and is offering these lessons free to the greater Community.