Join us and discover how shocking news twists and turns in this new work ‘Breaking News’ by GDC Artistic Director, Shu-Chen Cuff and enjoy a unique cultural experience with ‘We, The Moon, The Sun’ – an Asian culturally influenced work combining Chinese Opera movements and modern dance. Includes audience participation.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gin Dance Company (GDC) is a Metropolitan DC/Northern VA based performing arts modern dance company that was founded in 2011 to provide a professional environment for artists to learn, grow, and express themselves and to bring refreshing and vitalizing works of Artistic Director Shu-Chen Cuff to the community. Each of GDC’s works uniquely reflects Shu-Chen’s rich Asian Dance heritage and Eastern philosophy blended with Western fluidity of movement and culture. GDC’s works have been recognized and named finalists at the Dance Metro DC Awards in the categories of Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Individual Performer. GDC has also been selected and invited to several prestigious events and performances reaching out to thousands of people including at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, The 30thAnnual DC Mayor’s Arts Awards at the Lincoln Theatre, The Embassy of The People’s Republic of China in the U.S., the DUMBO Dance Festival and SoloDuo Dance Festival in NYC, the Yes! Dance Invitational in Richmond, the Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival and VelocityDC Dance Festival in DC, Taiwan Night Concert in MD, and the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival and Reston Multicultural Festival in VA.
Artistic Director, Shu-Chen Cuff was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she established a well-rounded background in dance with training in Ballet, Modern, Chinese Opera movements, and various Chinese folk dances. She immigrated to the United States to continue her training and pursue her dance journey. Shu-Chen received a B.F.A. from the University of Florida’s New World School of the Arts where she graduated with honors on the Dean’s list. Shu-Chen performed numerous classical and contemporary works while dancing with the Miami Ballet and Nevada Ballet Theater. After relocating to the Washington, DC area in 2002, Shu-Chen worked with Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company and has left her footprints around the world, touring to Asia, Central America, and Europe. Shu-Chen has also performed at the International Dance Festival in Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
With her strong desire of creating refreshing and vitalizing works for the community, Shu-Chen established Gin Dance Company in 2011. Shu-Chen’s works have been featured on FOX5 DC News as well as numerous publications including the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, Capital Hill Rag Magazine, Washington Flyer Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Virginia Living, Viva Tysons Magazine, Reston Connection, Fairfax Times, MetroDC Theater Arts, and Shu-Chen was a featured model for Summer Chic Fashions at Lincoln Theatre with Washington Life Magazine. In 2015, Shu-Chen was commissioned to create a work in response to well-renowned sculptor Patrick Dougherty’s sculpture ‘Bird in the Hand’. Same year Shu-Chen was also commissioned to present ‘Chasing Horizons’ in Reston CenterStage’s Professional Touring Artists Series and collaborated with visual artists, Teri Ann Labuwi and CinCin Fang. In 2016, Shu-Chen was commissioned to create a work in response to artist Mary Ann Mears’ sculpture ‘Reston Rondo’. In 2017, Shu-Chen collaborated with two-time Grammy nominee, David Taylor. Shu-Chen had an exclusive radio interview with Denise Turney. Shu-Chen also has been a Finalist in the category of Outstanding Choreographer and Outstanding Individual Performer at the Dance MetroDC Awards and is a recipient of the Strauss Artist Grant by the Arts Council of Fairfax County.
Shu-Chen has a great passion to pass on her knowledge, experience, and her love of dance to young aspiring dancers. In this regard, she has taught Masterclasses and choreographed many works at Metropolitan School of the Arts, Ashburn Academy of Dance, Russell School of Ballet, Skye Ballet Center, Classical Ballet Theater and has been a guest instructor at numerous dance schools throughout Taiwan. She is currently on the faculty of The Washington Ballet School, BalletNova Center for Dance, Metropolitan School of the Arts, and has served on the Board of Director for Dance MetroDC.
