Congolese dance

            Within the context of Congolese culture, music and dance are one. Married through ritual, neither could exist without the other. This is best seen through the relationship between dance and drum. The ngoma, or drum, is the center of communal life. It is the ultimate messenger that creates the rhythm to which life is lived. This drum ushers the community members through life changing and life-sustaining occurrences, such as birth, rites of passage, marriage, the hunt, the harvest, sickness, healing, and death. The dance, much like the drum, is rooted in ritual and communicates, with movement, the stories of life. The dances and rhythms played have clearly defined functions and provide a glimpse at the past, much in the same way history books do today. Dances like Bibunda or Mayaka show how young girls are guided into womanhood, as they learn to prepare manioc (cassava); Essombi depicts how warriors once danced to prepare for battle, calling on ancestors and God for strength and courage. All of these deep-rooted rituals are translated to the concert stage through the use of choreography. Each performance then becomes an artistic reenactment of events long passed, as well as a multi-layered journey, with ngoma rhythms, fierce dancing, beautiful songs, and call and response chants.

                Fua Dia Congo will present a dynamic dance with live drumming from the Congo in Central Africa. This dance ritual from Central Africa stems from the hunting tradition, and captures how nature helps to sustain human life. In African tradition, hunting is not for sport but a means of survival. Within the hunting ritual, honor and praises are offered up to the natural world that nourishes and affords us the fiber of our very existence.Drawing its name from the Kikongo language, Fua Dia Congo, meaning Congolese heritage, is a professional repertory dance company. The talents of Fua’s skilled musicians and dancers are a direct result of the works of the company’s Founder, the late world-renowned Congolese Master Artist, and Malonga Casquelourd. Malonga established Fua Dia Congo in 1977 as an entity dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and study of traditional Central African culture. Today, Fua remains committed to his vision by preserving Congolese culture through artistic interpretations of its daily life and rituals.

          Fua’s unique repertoire draws upon religious, social, and military traditions of descendents of the Kongo Kingdom, demonstrates a cutting edge innovation within a classical dance form, and asserts cultural values through song, music, and dance. Fua continues to set the standard for presentation of traditional Congolese art forms on the concert stage, including at Jacob’s Pillow, San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, the world premiere of "Kusum Africa” at Zellerbach Hall and many other national and international venues. The company's unique teaching and performance residencies have been conducted in public schools and universities nationwide and throughout the world.  Fua has been honored many times for its artistic achievements, providing a platform for audiences to learn about and participate in the rich cultural heritage of Central Africa.