Faculty, Adult Program Faculty
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. 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, 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 by Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (TICA) and Reston Community Center (RCC) to create a work in response to well-renowned sculptor Patrick Dougherty’s sculpture ‘Bird in the Hand’. That same year Shu-Chen was also commissioned to present ‘Chasing Horizons’ in Reston CenterStage and collaborated with visual artists, Teri Ann Labuwi and CinCin Fang. In 2016, Shu-Chen was commissioned by TICA and RCC to create a work in response to artist Mary Ann Mears’ sculpture ‘Reston Rondo’. In 2017, Shu-Chen collaborated and performed with two-time Grammy nominee, David Taylor at the Taiwan Night Concert. In 2019 & 2020 Shu-Chen also collaborated and performed with renowned musicians Tom Teasley and Chao Tian at the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center and Autumn Remembrance Day Arts Festival. 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 Towson University, Virginia Tech, BalletNova Center for Dance, 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 School of Ballet, George Mason University, BalletNova Center for Dance, the Metropolitan School of the Arts, and Skye Ballet Center, and has served on the Board of Director for Dance MetroDC.