Bio
Jean-Claude Biza (Sompa) began his dance and choreography career in 1970 with the Ballet Damar and the Congolese National Dance Company in Brazzaville, Congo. He toured extensively throughout France, Belgium, and Germany with the Paris-based Congolese dance troupes Ballet Lemba and Ballet N’Kodia. In 1979, Biza founded the Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theater Company which is based in Ann Arbor, MI. Under his proficient guidance as the artistic director for the company, the members of Bichini Bia Congo are trained in the technical and aesthetic elements of Congolese dancing, singing, and instrumentation. Biza and his company travel the country year round and are nationally known for their dance and drum workshops, educational and cultural presentations, children’s and family performances, as well as large-scale, community-wide theater productions.
Currently, Biza is an instructor/lecturer at both the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater & Dance and Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
