The Shen Yun performance group that returns to St. Petersburg Jan. 16-19 is under investigation for labor practices.

Shen Yun, the acrobatic dance troupe that has performed at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater every year for the past two decades, is under investigation by the New York State Department of Labor, the New York Times reported recently.

The agency, which is tasked with enforcing laws on child labor, overtime and minimum wage, declined to specify for the New York Times what it was examining. But the inquiry was opened soon after the newspaper documented children and teenagers with the group saying they were discouraged from seeking medical care under grueling touring schedules with little to no pay.

Shen Yun’s shows have raked in millions in ticket sales for Falun Dafa, which the organization calls “a meditation discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.” The Chinese Embassy refers to it by the name Falun Gong and calls it an “anti-society cult” that is “anti-humanity and anti-science and exercises extreme mental manipulation on followers.”

It said the New York Times “cherry-picked” a few cases to cast broad implications. The article details four instances of dancers and two cases of musicians who said they performed through untreated injuries or sprains because of the group’s belief system that regarded such care as a crutch of the unfaithful.

“In each case, it notes that the individuals did not seek or request medical care,” the Shen Yun response said. It then pointed to several Shen Yun artists who had sought and received medical treatment.

Former dancers also told the New York Times of humiliating weigh-ins by instructors who publicly berated them for being fat. But the troupe responded that weight checks are “common among professional dancers, athletes and models. It is not only for aesthetic reasons but also to reduce the risk of injuries, as extra weight can put additional stress on joints and bones.”

Shen Yun pops up in cities across America every year, with billboards and posters and flyers in tow. This year, it will decamp in eight cities in Florida between January and April, performing intricate dances and acrobatic acts in bright costumes and elaborate scenery.

Organizers at the Mahaffey Theater did not respond to requests for comment about the Shen Yun investigation.

Source Link:https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/2025/01/06/shen-yun-dance-troupe-coming-st-pete-this-month-pushes-back-investigation/