Meet Celia Coulibaly | Dancer & Choreographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Celia Coulibaly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Celia, why did you pursue a creative career?
I always have been a creative person. It’s my way to express my self. I tried to do normal studies and have a normal job but I lost myself in the process.
And when I was lost it’s art that help me to push through. There for I knew that I was an artist and I profoundly need to express my self through art. The most naturally way to do it for me is dance.
It became my career because I thought: “if I have to give my all for something, I will do it for something that I deeply love”.
So for me, this artistic career is not something that I need to do but something I need to do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a child of Chilean mother and Ivorian father, but I’m born and raised in Brussels Belgium. I grew up with all those different cultures around me and an open vision of the world. I feel like this vision follows me in my art and my way to see dance. I always want to know more about people and share moment of life. Dance and movement is a way to share and connect for me and I think this vision comes from the way I grew up.

Pursue a dance career in Belgium is really not easy especially for hip-hop, house, afro, dancehall,… dancers. It’s why I always. traveled to others countries. It’s important to see how is dance in other places. And it’s how I realized that I need to be in Los Angeles. So something that I’m really excited about it’s that I start my visa process for the US.

A lesson that I learned through my dance/artistic career is no matter if you are on a job or not, training or not, in a break because of injury, you are not less a dancer or less an artist. Don’t value yourself and your art trough jobs, it means nothing on your art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The first day, we will go to “République Café Bakery” to brunch. After that we will do a little bit of shopping: Stüssy, Undefeated, Melody Hesani, Golf Wang, Supreme, Kith,… . And we will finish with a cocktail and food at Melrose Umbrella. The second day we could go to Malibu beach and stay to see the sunset.
The next day we will have to go to the expo of Jean Michel Basquiat in downtown. After the expo, we could go eat in Korea Town.
And one day we should have to go to Parchment Village and grab a cookie from “Levain Bakery”.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First of all I have to give a big shoutout to my parents. They are the one that put me in an academy, payed the dance lessons and drived me there. But also they were my first supporters.

Secondly, my Ballroom family in Brussels Belgium but also all around the world. If I’m the person that I am today is thanks to Ballroom and my Queer POC people. I discover ballroom through “For All Queens” in 2018 en my life change ever since.

And the last one will be to my brother. My brother is an Artist too and without him I’m not sure that I will had try to follow my heart in a dance career.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coulibalycelia/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7zw7V3jZUPyJku-kwu3cwg