According to the Globe and Mail and the Metro of Canada, Alberta's culture ministry has barred a Chinese performance group from venues in both Calgary and Edmonton after their hosts took complaints of alleged unprofessional conduct to the media.
Last month, the Falun Dafa Association raised the concerns, saying members of the Shen Yun Performing Arts group had been humiliated during a string of recent shows. In one instance, staff members at Calgary's Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium walked into a makeshift change room while performers were disrobing. A spokesperson for the group later said the incident was purely accidental. Other concerns were raised about stage management errors made during performances.
Shen Yun and the local Falun Dafa association felt these concerns were not treated seriously or respectfully, and in April took their allegations to the media, threatening to cancel future performances of the popular show if it did not receive a written apology and invitation to return from Jubilee management.
Instead, they received a letter informing them that future performances at the Jubilee Auditoria have been cancelled, and the dates released.
The Falun Dafa Association received a letter from Culture and Community Services Minister Heather Klimchuk last week telling the group to find new venues for previously scheduled performances in both for next year and beyond.
"It to us seems like it's kind of a punitive act. Edmonton has nothing to do with this," says Jenny Yang, with the Falun Dafa Association of Calgary, which presents Shen Yun's Calgary performances.
The Ministry says the cancellation was not a punitive action.
"In this specific situation, I feel that by not contacting the manager of the Jubilee Auditoria directly to address the issues, nor giving me the opportunity to respond to your letter directly before sharing information through the media and to elected representatives, we may have missed an opportunity to resolve these issues efficiently and effectively." Klimchuk says in the letter, "regretfully, it appears to me that the relationship has deteriorated to the point that I do not believe it can be resolved."
"We just think that it's probably best that we end our business relationship," said Marie Iwanow, communications director for Alberta's Culture Ministry.
"They've had concerns [and] we don't know if those will be addressed in the future if they come back."
Shen Yun had been planning to perform three shows in Calgary and three shows in Edmonton in April, 2013. Ms. Yang says the Jubilee auditoria were the only venues large enough and technically equipped for the show, and they will not be seeking a replacement.
