Popular Dance Company Shen Yun Has Been at the Center of Multiple Child Abuse Allegations

Content Warning: This article mentions child abuse.

Since 2006, the popular dance troupe Shen Yun has entertained many and puzzled even more. The nonprofit company often appears on billboards in most cities or in commercials and was created with the sole purpose of reviving the "traditional, divinely inspired culture of China and sharing it with the world," per its website.

Shen Yun's colorful photos and videos and the talent its dancers possess was what kept the company bringing in new fans every time they performed. Shen Yun has also afforded several up-and-coming Chinese artists with opportunities to showcase their talent in the New York-based show. However, a former dancer has accused Shen Yun of participating in actions that were much more harmful than helpful.

Here's what to know.

Shen Yun's team received a lawsuit from one of their former dancers, Chang Chun-Ko, accusing them of abusing, exploiting, and coercing its dancers, specifically the young and minor members of the company, per The New York Times. The dancer claimed in the lawsuit that Shen Yun subjected some children who perform for it to harsh conditions, including "long hours for little pay," and aims to financially support Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi.

"Shen Yun touts itself as a nonprofit dance company devoted to highlighting traditional Chinese culture and morality and to exposing the cruelty of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But the truth is Shen Yun is part of an enterprise that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars via forced child labor of vulnerable minors, for the financial benefit of Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi, his wife Rui Li, and the rest of the Defendants."

Other followers of the Falun Gong faith, Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and Fei Tian College, were also named in the lawsuit. The suit also claimed the company has made hundreds of millions of dollars by exploiting young dancers it recruits from abroad, forcing them to work grueling hours and scaring them into thinking they’d face harm if they quit. In February 2025, CBS8 released a statement denying all of the claims presented in the lawsuit.

"The allegations present a grossly distorted picture of our organization... Shen Yun is committed to fairness, accountability, and compliance with all applicable laws," the statement read, with another dancer reporting, "The Shen Yun that I go to is warm and supportive and positive."

Another, who has been with Shen Yun for over a decade, said, "I never felt coercion, I would say I felt guidance."

The abuse allegations Shen Yun faced came after the company had been accused of being a cult. Critics of the show have accused it of being a cult due to the messaging in the show. Multiple attendees and skeptics of the company has said it uses political propoganda in its shows, starting with a traditional Chinese dance routine in the first half of the show before pivoting to a more anti-communist and spiritual messaging, which shocked many of the show's attendees.

Shen Yun's cult allegations were amplified when The New York Times reported on the lawsuit and Shen Yun's affiliation with Falun Gong and Hongzhi and questioned whether the organization exhibited characteristics of a cult. It included accounts from former performers who alleged strict control over members and challenging working conditions before the 2024 lawsuit. The allegations resulted in Shen Yun denying the claims via a statement on its website.

"At Shen Yun Performing Arts and the Fei Tian schools where many of our artists are trained, we believe in hard work," the company wrote. "We believe in tradition, and we have our faith. But we also believe in treating our artists with care and respect, and giving them the means to develop personal resilience, artistic excellence, and lead a deeply fulfilling life."

"A recent New York Times article, however, grossly distorts the common practices and culture of our organization in an attempt to paint a false picture that our company 'relies on minors and teenagers,'" the statement added. "This narrative flies in the face of fact and is based on the personal accounts of a mere handful of disgruntled former artists, which is hardly a sound basis on which to make wide-ranging assertions."

As of this writing, the lawsuit and allegations regarding Shen Yun remain ongoing.