TITOS SOMPA
Titos Sompa is a supremely gifted singer, composer, recording artist, choreographer, storyteller, artisan of African folk crafts, producer, director, trainer, and teacher. Mr. Sompa founded the first Congolese dance company (Tanawa Dance Company) in America. He joined the New York dance and theater scene, and performed with James Earl Jones and Ann Miller, along with such jazz greats as Elvin Jones, Eddie Jefferson, Sun Ra, Ron Carter, Leon Thomas, Pharaoh Sanders, Dave Murray, Arthur Blythe, Olu Dara, and Chico Freeman, among others, before relocating in California where he became a magnet for the Congolese artistic community. Over the years he has trained and nurtured numerous Congolese artists, including Mbemba Jean Louis, Malonga Casquelourd, and Samba Ngo, as well as Fred Simpson, Oba Babatunde, and Monte Hallison, who later became masters in their own right. In 1988, Mr. Sompa founded Mbongi Dance Theatre Project, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to advancing and celebrating the cultural arts of Africa, especially the music and dance of the Congo.
Seeing African culture as a sustaining force, Mr. Sompa has taken on the responsibility of preserving and passing on Congolese culture. His task involves dispelling all the ignorance, mythology and distortions about Africa, while he makes known the wisdom, variety, beauty, inspiration, and power of African cultures. Through spirituality, he enables people to tap into the power within and the guidance of our ancestors. "African dance is about opening up your heart and bringing for the essence of your soul. It is a way of letting go," he observes. His qualities as a healer, his gentle teaching style that encourages the student to feel communication with self, and his commitment to community building, make Mr. Sompa stand out as an artist. He devotes special attention to young people. He designs educational programs, primarily for elementary & high school age students, as well as students of the university, that teach self-esteem, promote values and behaviors that build community awareness, and help them imagine a future.
"It is important that we pay attention to the young people in our community. We need to let them know who they are and where they come from. If they can grab onto it, then they can be the teachers for future generations... We must listen to what our children say to have better communication with them. If we respect one another, then we are able to learn from one another. That is what African teaching is all about."
Mr. Sompa is a powerful messenger with powerful gifts, which he shares through the performing, teaching, producing, and a variety of community-building activities.