Rehearsing for Gin Dance
“As a Fairfax County performing arts dance company, you can imagine how excited we are to have such a magnificent venue, Capital One Hall, in the heart of Northern Virginia.” said Shu-Chen Cuff, founder/artistic director, Gin Dance Company. “We are so grateful…and beyond excited to be one of the first groups to share our work there.”
The Gin Dance dance and music event is entitled “Perfect 10+” to honor the company’s 10th anniversary season. The program is not only a celebration of Gin Dance’s anniversary, but “more importantly a celebration of how we all are getting through the pandemic as a community,” said Cuff. For Gin Dance that meant creating new choreography as well as overcoming the challenges of rehearsing in their own homes through Zoom
“Perfect 10+” is comprised of four premiers including a special collaboration with New York City’s renowned Fashion Institute of Technology. The Fashion Institute collaboration melds two art forms, modern dance and fashion design, in a new work called “Runway.” For “Runway” Cuff “delved into the creative minds of other artists, discovering the meaning behind their creations, exposing the relevance of their works, and bringing them to life through dance.”
The second new work is “The Golden Time.” It is “an Asian culturally influenced work combining Chinese Opera movements and modern dance.” noted Cuff. It will explore “the mixture of influences on culture that existed during the 1920s in Shanghai,” including the role women played. For “Golden Time” Gin dancers will wear qipao, a classic, high-necked dress style.
The evening of dance continues with “Aspire,” inspired by Sue Wrbican's 50-foot steel sculpture; "Buoyant Force” installed in the Reston Town Square Park. “I express through movement that when life circumstances overwhelm and submerge us, our spirit will lift us from our darkest days and aspire us to new heights.” said Cuff.
Concluding the evening is “When the Wind Blows.” It focuses on “how we often try to plan out our life, trying to calculate everything to make sure things go the way we want them to. However, far too often, that’s just not the way life unfolds,” said Cuff.
Inviting audiences to Capital One Hall, Cuff wants patrons to “escape their troubles and the stress of their daily lives, even if just for a short time, allowing them to reinvigorate themselves and leave inspired and hopeful for the future.”
Where and When: Gin Dance Company performs “Perfect 10+” at Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower RD, Tysons, VA 22102 on October 16, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $45. For information and tickets go to www.gindance.org