40 Under Forty alumni: Lindiana Flores Semidei, Class of 2017 - restarted her dancing company
Lindiana Flores Semidei in 2017 and 2024
Photo | Jaime Flores
The 40 Under Forty winners and alumni who visited the Westerman Props movie warehouse in Worcester were Christon Carney (Class of 2024), Lindiana Flores Semidei (Class of 2017), Denis Brown (Class of 2024), and Sonia Sharma (Class of 2019). The globe made of keys in the center of the table was used in the Denzel Washington movie "The Equalizer 3". (Special thanks to Dan Diaz)
- Class of 2017
- Then Co-owner & co-director, Raices Latin Dance, in Worcester / Special projects assistant, City of Worcester Cultural Development division, Worcester
- Now Executive director & owner of Raices Latin Dance, Worcester
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Following her tenure with the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development division, Flores Semidei moved into donor services at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.
Working her way up the nonprofit ladder to the role of arts lead, Flores Semidei established the organization's Creative Intersections grant program designed to promote the cultural development throughout Worcester and bolster cross-sector collaborations between organizations, businesses, and individual artists. Flores Semidei left the GWCF at the conclusion of 2022 to re-open her dance company, Raices Latin Dance. She had originally opened her dance studio in 2011 but had to close its doors when the coronavirus pandemic hit, and her efforts were instead focused on GWCF’s Worcester Together: Central Mass COVID-19 Fund, which raised more than $10 million for community responses to the pandemic. Having once taken a back seat, today Raices Latin Dance has more than 100 enrolled students. Furthermore, the company has partnered with fellow Worcester-based studio Ritmos Dance Co. to launch Raices Latin Dance youth program to preserve Latino dance and culture and pass them on to following generations.
What did getting the 40u40 award mean to you at the time? I had been a behind-the-scenes person in my work life, and getting the 40u40 award made me feel like I was finally being acknowledged for all my hard work and contributions to this community.
What does it mean to you now? It's funny because now I'm officially no longer under 40. Knowing I belong to a special group of amazing, talented individuals here in Worcester feels nice. But I no longer feel the need to accomplish things, and I am more than happy to lend help and mentor the new generation of rising talent.
What advice do you have for this year's 40u40 winners? The world has changed since I won 40 under Forty in 2017. My advice to this year's winners is to keep your morals and values strong, cherish the relationships you build, and always make time to spend with your family and loved ones. Time is short, and work will always be there.
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