About Kotchegna

A man smiling and playing a drum inside a living room, wearing a white turtleneck and blue suspenders.

A man in colorful, patterned clothing performing with a decorated drum in a dark setting, with multi-colored stage lighting.

Messenger of Culture
Guardian of Tradition

Kotchegna means Messenger in Mahou, the language of the Mahouka people of Côte d’Ivoire.

The name Kotchegna speaks to a calling, one rooted in responsibility, and ancestral connection.

Vado Diomande was born in the village of Toufinga, where rhythm, dance, and ritual shape daily life. As a child, he was chosen to carry forward the sacred traditions of his people — including Gue-Pelou, the towering forest mask that channels the presence of the ancestors and blesses community gatherings through movement, presence, and ceremony. His journey led him from village ceremonies to global stages all the way to the Ballet National de Côte d'Ivoire, always guided by the spirit of his lineage.

In 1994, Vado founded Kotchegna Dance Company in New York City. What began as a gathering of dancers and drummers has become a cultural offering that includes classes, handcrafted instruments, educational tools, and performances that keep the Ivorian spirit alive.

Vado continues to share what cannot be written — only felt, practiced, and carried forward.

Our Community Leaders

Jehan O. Young
SHE | HER

Portrait of a smiling woman with short natural hair styled in twists on top, wearing a black shirt with a white shoulder detail, against a plain white background.

A performing artist and arts administrator hailing from Stone Mountain, GA by way of California, Jehan joined Kotchegna as a company member in 2014 and serves as its Company Manager. She is grateful to Kotchegna for affording her opportunities to perform across the US and around the world. Memorable engagements include 92nd St Y, Global Citizen Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, African Burial Ground, CFDA Fashion Awards, successive Kekene showcases and Ivory Coast, West Africa, among many more. BFA, Spelman College, Theater | MFA, Columbia University, Acting.

Lisa Diomande

Lisa Diomande, Executive Director and Business Manager, Kotchegna Dance Company, trained as an actress at NYU Tisch School of the Arts (BFA), the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, and Sanford Meisner. Her dance disciplines include Afro-Cuban, Haitian, Brazilian, Guinea, Senegalese, and Cote d’Ivoire. She studied dance under Loremil Machado, Lavinia Williams, Pat Hall, Djoniba Moufflet, Marie-Basse Wilkes, Maguette Camara, Lamine Thiam, Youssouf Koumbassa, and Vado Diomande.

She is an Orff-Schulwerk certified music teacher and has managed Kotchegna Dance Company since 2001. She toured in a bi-lingual production of Don Quixote, played Gertrude in Hamlet, and Olivia in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and performed throughout the NYC school system as a founding member of ATOMIA (A Theatre of Music in Action) with Young Audiences. She has an MA in Language and Literacy from The City College of New York and has taught writing at the City College of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and LaGuardia Community College. She is passionate about forging artistic, cultural and linguistic bonds between all people through arts and education.