Gin Dance Company, the Reston nonprofit that spent 16 years fusing modern western dance with Asian influences on local stages, will close after a final performance on Sept. 12 at Capital One Hall in Tysons.
Co-founders Shu-Chen Cuff and Gary Cuff announced the decision on Wednesday, Aug. 12, calling it one of the most difficult decisions they have made.
No successor organization will take over, Gary Cuff confirmed.
"But we do feel it is a perfect program to close our 16-year run," Gary Cuff told FFXnow. "It's a high-energy, powerful, and meaningful production that will put an exclamation point at the end of our final full-evening performance."
The farewell show, "Lightning," begins at 7:30 p.m. in the venue's main theater. Originally planned as the launch of the company's 16th season, the program was locked in before the Cuffs decided it would be their last. It features collaborations with choreographer Thang Dao and Fairfax County Poet Laureate Angelique Palmer, and closes with "That's Mozart," an homage to the composer choreographed by Shu-Chen Cuff.
A Reston fixture since 2010
Shu-Chen Cuff moved from her native Taiwan to the United States 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 in Reston with her husband in 2010.
Over 16 seasons, the company performed at Reston Community Center's CenterStage (now the Leila Gordon Theatre), the Reston Multicultural Festival, Capital One Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter in New York City. It also hosted the annual Aurora Dance Fest at Capital One Hall.
Shu-Chen Cuff retired as a performer in fall 2023 after a 27-year career on stage but continued leading the company as choreographer and artistic director. She received an ArtsFairfax Achievement Award in 2024.
Going out 'on our own terms'
The Cuffs framed the closure as a deliberate choice to end the company with its legacy intact rather than risk it fading over time. In a press release, Shu-Chen Cuff said the company "has been my heart, my artistic home, and my life's passion" and expressed gratitude for every dancer, collaborator, volunteer, donor and audience member who became part of the organization's family.
Gary Cuff said both he and Shu-Chen plan to remain involved in the local arts community "in different capacities." Many of the company's dancers are freelance artists who already work with other organizations in the region.
Just two weeks before the closure announcement, Gary Cuff praised the ArtsFairfax Community Arts Partnership that made Capital One Hall accessible to small nonprofits. "There's no way we would be able to be in a theater like this without the partnership," he told FFXnow on July 30. That same partnership enabled the company's final show to be staged at the Tysons venue.
How to attend
Tickets for "Lightning" are available through Capital One Hall's website and Ticketmaster. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 at 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons.
