The dance company Shen Yun Performing Arts is currently under fire for alleged child labor abuse.
The renowned dance company’s practices came to light recently following an investigative report by The New York Times in August. Shen Yun, which is operated by the Falun Gong religious movement in Orange County, New York, employs performers from around the world. Following the NYT investigation, the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) has opened an inquiry into the group’s practices.
The report found that while Shen Yun has used children and teenagers for its shows across the globe and raked in millions of dollars, their young performers allegedly received little to no compensation. Shen Yun violated state child labor laws by employing underage dancers and musicians without the necessary permits, the report found.
Additionally, the report notes that according to law, performance groups must obtain certification before using minors in performances, and must ensure proper working conditions. A portion of the performers’ earnings must also be set aside in a trust account. While the company has been operating for over two decades, it only recently applied for state certification in late September.
Performers often faced grueling tours and long working hours, and many performers do a lot of the stage work, which includes carrying heavy equipment and setting up for performances, the report found. Some male performers were also allegedly required to guard tour buses at night to protect them from potential interference from Chinese government agents. In interviews, former dancers recounted incidents of performing through injuries or being berated in weigh-ins by instructors.
The NYT investigation stems from interviews of more than 80 people. The reporters examined hundreds of pages of records and reviewed secret recordings made from inside the group’s guarded headquarters in New York.
Shen Yun’s representatives, however, deny any wrongdoing.
“The vast majority of students will tell you this is their dream come true, and the parents rave about the positive change in their children,” representatives Ying Chen and Levi Browde said in a statement.
The company has also issued a public statement, noting that the NYT article is “riddled with inaccuracies.”
“The recent Times articles that have appeared over the past several months are precisely an attack on the faith that drives us and the hard work that characterizes our performance culture,” Shen Yun said in a statement, adding that “this narrative flies in the face of fact and is based on the personal accounts of a mere handful of disgruntled former artists.”
