Shu-Chen Cuff Gin Dance Company Bio
Start Dance:
“Since I was little, I was always dancing and singing everywhere. I knew I wanted to be a performer. I saw myself as a singer, a dancer, and even a movie star. All I ever wanted was to perform in front of people. In my elementary school, there was an after school dance class program. One day on my way walking home, I peeked into the class from the window and I fell in love with ballet. I was mesmerized by the way the dancers moved. I was 6 years old in the 1st grade at the time and I was so excited. I wanted to enroll in the class, but my parents didn’t have enough money for me to do that. Every time I mentioned it to my parents, they would tell me “you don’t want to be a dancer because you would have big thighs and calves with all the dancing every day.” Even at my young age, I knew the real reason was financial. However, I couldn’t wait any longer, so when my friend told me that the dance program was opening enrollment for a summer dance workshop, I went ahead and enrolled in the workshop without letting my parents know. I told my teacher that my parents would bring the payment next time. I started taking class without proper dancewear. I would take class in my street clothes and socks. I did that for a couple of weeks without any payment. Finally, I had to let my dad know that my teacher had been asking for payment. He came to watch my ballet class and, after that, he enrolled me in the class and got me proper dance wear.”
Came to U.S.
“Years later, when I was 14, my friend in Taiwan gave me my 1st Dance Magazine (from the U.S.), I immediately knew I wanted to come to the U.S. someday to pursue my dance dreams. When I was in 2nd grade (7 years old), my Aunt and Uncle who had lived in Houston, TX for many years came to visit us in Taiwan. I was so excited to see them and asked them everything about the U.S. They encouraged my parents to apply for a Green Card and move to the U.S. to have a better life. My parents went ahead and applied. Ten years later, we finally got the letter from the immigration office that our application has been approved. However, my parents were in a different stage of their careers and lives, they thought we would just stay in Taiwan and give up the residency in U.S. I was a junior in high school at the time and I was so focused and training hard to prepare for my college audition the following year. I wanted to get into the best dance program in college in Taiwan. Just in time, my Aunt and Uncle visited us again that year. They couldn’t believe my parents were giving up the opportunity to live in the United States. There are so many people trying so hard to immigrate to the U.S. everyday. My family got it, but wanted to give it up. My Aunt and Uncle convinced my parents to continue the process. That’s how I got to come to the U.S. for college. I attended the New World School of the Arts (University of Florida’s Performing Arts School) in Miami, Florida. I worked very hard. After graduation, I was hired by Nevada Ballet Theater and my career in Dance was launched.
Starting Gin Dance Company
Having my own Dance Company had been my dream for many years, since I was a junior in high school. I even wrote it down in my high school yearbook and many of my classmates wrote notes to me in my yearbook with wishes for my dream to come true. However, after the years went by, I thought owning a dance company was just a childhood dream, it’s not reality and it’s not going to happen. One day, my husband, Gary, who is current the Executive Director of Gin Dance Company and who had been encouraging me to start my own company since the day we met, showed me the Gin Dance Company logo that he created. Once I saw that, I realized it’s not just a dream, I can do this, I can make it happen. That was the day Gin Dance Company was born.
So why ‘Gin’?
That’s in almost everyone’s mind… No, it’s not the drink… The founder and artistic director Shu-Chen’s real translation for her name is Shu-Gin. In 1994, she immigrated to the U.S. to pursue her dance dreams. There was a little mistake in her paper work, just a little one… translating her name incorrectly. At the time, in a new country with poor language skills, Shu-Chen didn’t want to go through any trouble to correct it. As time went by, she started to like how her new American friends pronounced her name. So she decided to keep the name “Shu-Chen”. When forming her Dance Company, Shu-Chen decided it was time to bring “Gin” back into her life.
The name “Gin” 真 was given by her Father. It means “real”, “truthful”, and “sincere”. These have been driving principals in her life. Her Father instilled in her the belief that anything and everything is possible. She created Gin Dance Company as a testament to her Father’s teachings. At Gin Dance Company, Shu-Chen is using her passion and love of dance to create a well- rounded, wide ranging performing arts company that conveys to audiences and dancers alike, that anything and everything is possible.
Shu-Chen’s Bio
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 to create refreshing and vitalizing works for the community, Shu-Chen established Gin Dance Company (GDC) in 2011. Through GDC, Shu-Chen’s works have been featured at numerous prestigious events including performances at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, The 30thAnnual DC Mayor’s Arts Awards at the Lincoln Theatre, 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. Shu-Chen’s works have been featured on FOX5 DC News as well as numerous publications including the Capital Hill Rag Magazine, Washington Flyer Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine, Reston Connection, Virginia Living, Fairfax Time, MetroDC Theater Arts, Viva Tysons Magazine, 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’. 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 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 BalletNova Center for Dance, The Washington Ballet School, and the Metropolitan School of the Arts, and has served on the Board of Director for Dance MetorDC.
Gin Dance Company
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 presenting our ‘Deep eMotion’ production at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, The 30th Annual DC Mayor’s Arts Awards at the Lincoln Theatre, The Embassy of The People’s Republic of China in the U.S., DUMBO Dance Festival at the Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center and SoloDuo Dance Festival at the Dixon Place in New York, Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, VelocityDC Dance Festival at the Sidney Harman Hall, ‘Yes! Dance Invitational’ at the Dogtown Dance Theatre in Richmond, Taiwan Night Concert at the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, Professional Touring Artists Series at the Reston CenterStage, and the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival.
We are guided by the philosophy that by spreading the amazing art form of dance, we are building a stronger and closer community. Applying that in practice, GDC has performed and supported many great charitable causes through our Outreach Performance Program including the American Diabetes Association, Child Rescue Center, Benefit Habitat for Humanity, The Angel Fund’s Remembrance Cabaret, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Catholic Charities U.S.A. Hurricane Relief, Life After Domestic Violence, Benefit Concert for Wounded Warriors and many others.
Our mission is both to provide a professional environment for artists to learn, grow, and express themselves and to bring refreshing and vitalizing works to the community. Each of Shu-Chen’s works uniquely reflects her rich Asian Dance heritage and Eastern philosophy blended with Western fluidity of movement and culture. We are guided by the philosophy that by spreading the amazing art form of dance, we build a stronger and closer community ~ Enriching lives through Dance.
