Zodiaque Dance Company to Present Wonder of Dance

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University at Buffalo will present Zodiaque Dance Company: The Wonder of Dance, under the direction of Tressa Gorman Crehan, Feb. 16-19 and 23-26 in the Drama Theatre located in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. The media sponsor is WBFO-FM.

Zodiaque Dance Company remains at the forefront of dance education and artistic expression. Few university dance companies have exhibited the range and virtuosity of presenting the many wonders of dance.

"The art of dance reaches and speaks to its audiences and performers in a multitude of ways; this in itself is a wonder. The UB Dance Program has nurtured a deep appreciation for, and created, a symbiotic relationship between, academe and art. Zodiaque instills knowledge of dance artistry, technical skills and important artistic works to company members. The oasis of opportunity that is afforded dance students through Zodiaque Dance Company has played a vital role in their transition from the collegiate setting to a professional one. We move forward to experience this next generation's 'dance wonders,'" says Crehan, director of Zodiaque Dance Company.

Two guest choreographers, Bill Evans and Elaine Gardner, have contributed their talents to The Wonder of Dance.

Evans, currently serving as guest artist at SUNY Brockport, was artistic director of the Bill Evans Dance Company (based in Seattle and Albuquerque) for 30 years. BEDC performed in all 50 states and was the most-booked company in the country for several years under the Dance Touring and Artist-in the-Schools Programs of the National Endowment for the Arts. Evans founded the Evans Rhythm Tap Ensemble in 1992, was artistic coordinator of Utah's Repertory Dance Theatre and Artistic Director of Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and two Awards for Excellence in Dance from the Albuquerque Arts Alliance. Evans was voted one of the three top American tap dance artists (with Savion Glover and Brenda Bufalino) in the 2004 Dance Magazine Readers Poll.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Gardner studied ballet and modern dance in Syracuse, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Boston, London and New York. Gardner has been directing Pick of the Crop Dance since 1980, and the Nichols School dance program since 1986. Gardner was a member of the touring companies Phoenix Metropolitan Dance Theater, Dance/L.A. and Donald Byrd and The Group. She has performed throughout the United States as well as in Scotland, Italy and Latvia.

Tickets for Zodiaque Dance Company are $16 general admission and $8 for students. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location.