Bichini Bia Congo tells its story at 30th anniversary show
Ann Arbor’s Congolese dance and theater company Bichini Bia Congo celebrates its 30th year with a performance at the Michigan Theater on Friday. The anniversary show, entitled “Ki Ntsamu Kiani Njeka Ta: Now I’m Going to Tell My Story,” documents the company’s history and the sources of founding director Biza Sompa’s inspiration. It also honors the people, past and present, who have made it all possible.
One of the ways that Sompa is telling this story is by including both current and former company members in the performance. Company alumni are “the people who were here when the baby was born. Those are the people who helped me create this,” he says. “Like my grandmother used to say, ‘Life is a circle.’ So, we are going in this circle, trying to give from one generation to another.,”
The show will also include pieces “dedicated to people who were a really big part of my life — my father, my mother, my grandmother. We dedicate this show to some people who have left us, who are ancestors now. It’s me telling the story of who influenced me to be who I am now, where I learned my dancing and what inspired me everyday to be on the stage,” Sompa explains.
Brazzaville-born Sompa performed in Congolese troupes based in Congo and Paris before moving to Ann Arbor in 1979 and founding Bichini Bia Congo. He is currently a lecturer in the University of Michigan dance department and at Washtenaw Community College, and many of his current company members started with him as students in his university classes and workshops.Company member Antionette Williams adds, “Another part of the story is how he spreads his culture from the Congo to us here in the United States.”
The company seeks an authentic experience of Congolese dance and music that communicates culture to the general public. Performances include drumming, music, dance movements and costuming that are all based on Congolese traditions. Encouraging dancers to internalize Congolese culture is also a major part of Sompa’s teaching strategy. For example, by singing songs in Lingala, a language spoken in Congo, his students and company members learn Congolese culture, spirituality and artistic expression.
“He always tells us what we are saying and then there’s a story behind it that’s deeply rooted in a lot of culture, traditions and beliefs of Congolese people. Then we start to learn more about the culture and it’s almost as if we become like Congolese people. A lot of times when people from Congo see us dance, they ask, ‘are these Congolese women?’ I say, ‘No! I’m from Chicago,” Antionette Williams laughs.
Sompa adds, “Just like an actor, we are acting. To become a better actor you have to become that character. So, for them to really be doing this, they have to become Congolese on stage.” He likens Bichini Bia Congo’s performances to “plays.” When company members are on stage, “we are in the Congo, we are not here,” he says.
Many members of the company have a background in more common West African dance, which uses different movements and has a different feel from Congolese dance. They agree that Sompa’s focus on Congolese traditions, instead of pan-African or West African dance, is blessing them with a unique learning experience.
Company member Mama Maposa explains, “You have some people who teach African dance, but when they do African dance, they pick different countries. The rich thing for this company is that it’s only Congo dance, Zaire or Congo dance. I’ve heard people say, ‘I do African dance,’ but when they explain to you what they do, they just dance. He explains the exact signification of each dance, or each move,” in the context of Congolese culture.
Beyond teaching his students and company members about Congolese culture and expression, Sompa’s choreography and compositions communicate ideas to his audience at large. Company member Krystal Williams thinks “the beauty of music is that it is a common language. Even if we can’t speak to each other in other ways, and maybe we see other differences, I think that when you hear the rhythm of a drum, that speaks to everybody. When you see the energy of a dance, that’s something that supersedes whether we have any differences. It is a good way to identify similarities and also cross cultures in a number of different ways,” she says.
Drumming also functions as a form of communications because it “signals the dancers to start, change or go to the next movement,” explains Sompa. The drum “talks,” just like a Congolese talking drum, “which a long time ago use to be used as a telephone,” played from hilltops to communicate messages between villages, he explains.
It was the sounds of drums that drew company member Ndambi Gillespie to the fold. She remembers, “I lived right down the street, so I started hearing drumming. That’s the communication part of drumming. I heard it from way outside of these walls. I was following them, asking where is that drumming coming from?”
As mentioned, many of the company members started in West African dance before finding Bichini Bia Congo. For company member Serita Leonard, “I’ve always been interested in the process of dance, but I really struggled with west African dance. I came to the first rehearsal (with Bichini Bia Congo), and it felt completely natural, and it wasn’t that it was easy. It was just right. This is what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s the earthiness of it. You feel a connection — and it gets spiritual — between you and the earth, between you and the people you are dancing with,” she says.
Company members also agree that the Bichini Bia Congo is more of a family than anything else. For example, they address Sompa as “Yaya” or “Ya Biza” to denote his role as a big brother in the group. “I feel like I’ve found not only physical challenges here, but also a sense of community,” says Krystal Williams.
The newest member of the group Nehanda Gyan-Apenteng agrees that, on top of the physical benefits of participating, the personal relationships that form within the group have been one of the best parts. “Everybody has been welcoming and very supportive,” she says.
After speaking with Biza Sompa and the member of Bichini Bia Congo, you get the sense that they are like a family. While preparing to tell his story at the company’s anniversary show, Sompa realizes, “I learn from everybody,” whether they be his ancestors, his family, or the family he has created here in Ann Arbor.
Jennifer Eberbach is a free-lance writer who covers art for AnnArbor.com.
Bichini Bia Congo performs at the Michigan Theater at 8 p.m. on Friday. For tickets, ranging in cost from $8.50-$16.50, call 734-604-5483.