Zodiaque 40th Anniversary

Zodiaque 40.

Zodiaque Dance Company celebrated its landmark 40th Season in the fall of 2013.

The creation of Zodiaque Dance Company was a success forty years in the making. Founder and creator Linda Swiniuch “could not be more pleased” with the journey the company has gone through. From humble beginnings to a praised and well-known company, the story of Zodiaque Dance Company is one that must be told.

“When I came back from working in New York City, I realized that I loved touring and didn’t want to do anybody else’s work, so I [started] my own company,” Swiniuch recalled. Once the idea was planted, action followed. At the time, the dance department was part of the physical education department. It soon moved into the theatre department and, as the dance program grew, it became a separate major of its own.

With unyielding encouragement from the theatre department chair, the dance department and company slowly, but surely, gained speed. “The company was so closely entangled with the fortunes of the dance department that it was impossible to separate them," Swiniuch said. "Zodiaque was designed in the beginning to enhance the education of dancers. I have always seen dance education and dance performance as inseparable."

Now, thirty-nine years later, Swiniuch is not surprised at the amazing progress it has made. “When I left Tom Ralabate and Tressa Gorman Crehan in charge, I knew...they were the people who would take it to the next step. Tom and Tressa have done a really fine job at moving the company forward. Very few companies can survive forty years; it’s quite remarkable."