A Language We All Understand

Every Monday, the Trotter Multicultural Center offers a Bichini Bia Congo Dance Class taught by the University’s own Professor Biza Sompa. He started his dance‐choreography career in 1970 with the Ballet Damar and the Congolese National Dance Company in Brazzaville, Congo and toured across Europe. In 1979, he founded the Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theater Company based here in Ann Arbor.

My friend and I decided to broaden our dancing abilities and try a new style of movement. Once we arrived in the studio, Biza Sompa greeted us with an enthusiastic welcome. Also in the studio were three other beginners, one regular Congo-class attendee, and a drummer. To begin, we loosened up to a few energetic Congolese songs. I braced myself for the actual instruction because the warmup by itself required ample stamina. Next, we learned a routine. Though it was not easy, it was so fun! Not only did we learn a Congolese dance, but we also heightened our understanding of the African culture through dance, music, song, and drum. Instead of dancing to the sound of a stereo, we found our rhythm with the beat of two “mother” drums that gave birth to music and helped “embody the value concepts and social philosophies of the Congolese people: man’s harmony with God and nature, group unity, and the celebration of life.” The pounding of the drums facilitated creative fluidity while the clapping of the hands maintained an inspiring energy. To conclude the session, we came together in a circle to thank everyone and everything that enabled us to share this dancing experience.

It’s amazing how dance and body language can often speak with greater power than spoken or written language. Through one common aspect of culture, we are unified. Though we might not all speak the same language, as Stevie Wonder once said,

“Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand.”

No matter who you are or from where you come, people have “an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance, and clap their hands.”