Gin Dance Company’s upcoming performance at Capital One Hall in Tysons will be its last.
Previously advertised as the launch of its 16th season, the Sept. 12 premiere of “Lightning” will instead serve as an unexpected swan song for the Reston-based arts organization after co-founders Shu-Chen and Gary Cuff announced yesterday (Wednesday) that they will wind down operations.
The Cuffs, who are married and serve respectively as Gin Dance’s artistic and executive directors, described the decision to close the company as one of the most difficult of their lives.
“For sixteen seasons, Gin Dance Company has been more than a dance company — it has been my heart, my artistic home, and my life’s passion,” Shu-Chen said in a press release. “Every dancer, collaborator, volunteer, donor, and audience member has become part of our family. As I prepare to step away from my current role, I do so with overwhelming gratitude for everyone who believed in our vision and helped bring it to life.”
The latest in a long line of original works developed by Shu-Chen, “Lightning” will be accompanied by collaborations with choreographer Thang Dao and Fairfax County Poet Laureate Angelique Palmer. The show at Capital One Hall’s main theater will conclude with “That’s Mozart,” an homage to the celebrated composer choreographed by Shu-Chen.
According to Gary Cuff, the program was solidified before he and Shu-Chen determined that it would be Gin Dance’s farewell production.
“But we do feel it is a perfect program to close our 16-year run,” he told FFXnow by email. “It’s a high-energy, powerful, and meaningful production that will put an exclamation point at the end of our final full-evening performance.”
Established in 2010, Gin Dance Company has served as a showcase for Shu-Chen’s work, which fuses modern western dance with Asian influences, while also giving other dancers and artists space to train and perform.
Winner of an ArtsFairfax Achievement Award in 2024, Shu-Chen moved from her native Taiwan to the U.S. in 1994 to study at the University of Florida. Trained in ballet, modern dance, and Chinese folk dance and opera, she danced with Miami Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theater, and the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company before founding Gin Dance.
Shu-Chen retired as a performer in fall 2023, wrapping up a 27-year career that took her around the globe, but has continued leading the company as a choreographer and artistic director.
Over the years, Gin Dance has performed at a range of venues, from local forums like Reston Community Center’s CenterStage (now the Leila Gordon Theatre), the Reston Multicultural Festival and Capital One Hall to national stages at the Kennedy Center and Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter in New York City.
Just last month, the Cuffs shared how access to Capital One Hall, thanks to a partnership between the theater and ArtsFairfax, has enabled Gin Dance Company to expand its offerings, hosting events such as the annual Aurora Dance Fest, and broaden its audience.
Confirming that there are no plans for additional events after “Lightning” or for another individual or organization to assume leadership, Gary says he and Shu-Chen wanted to ensure the company goes out “on our own terms” instead of risking the possibility that it might “simply fade over time.”
“We believe it is important for Gin Dance Company to conclude with the legacy it has earned and the artistic standards it has always upheld,” he said.
Gary Cuff added that he and Shu-Chen both plan to remain involved in the local arts community “in different capacities.”
They’re also committed to supporting Gin Dance’s dancers and other collaborators “however we can as they pursue the next chapters of their artistic journeys,” he said, noting that many are freelance artists who already work with other organizations in the region.
With tickets for “Lightning” now on sale, the Cuffs described the upcoming show as a “culmination of an extraordinary artistic journey” and a “love letter” to the many people who have been involved with or supported Gin Dance over its 16-year run, including its dancers, board members, volunteers, donors and community partners.
“We are profoundly thankful for the opportunity to have served this community for the past 16 years,” Gary Cuff said. “If there is one thing we hope people remember, it is that Gin Dance Company was never just about creating performances. It was about building community, inspiring conversation, and demonstrating that dance has the power to connect, heal, and transform lives.”
