The Shen Yun dance group is facing allegations of forced labor and child labor in a lawsuit filed by a former dancer for the troupe.
Chun-Ko Chang, who lives in Taiwan but formerly danced for the group, claims Shen Yun runs “a sophisticated operation that is designed to identify and recruit vulnerable people to work as Dancers, ensnare them in a system that dominates every aspect of their lives, and force them to work grueling hours through multiple methods of control and coercion,” as detailed in a lawsuit first reported by Seamus Hughes’ Court Watch.
Also listed as defendants are associated entities, Shen Yun’s financial backer the International Bank of Chicago and executives Hongzhi Li, Rui Li and Shujia Gong, who is also known as Tianliang Zhang.
The suit contains numerous allegations, including that those dancers who are perceived to have stepped out of line are subjected to public humiliation and not allowed to leave the group’s compound or speak with their families.
Shen Yun, which advertises itself as a depiction of China before communism, has also made headlines this year after an agent of the Chinese government admitted to trying to bribe an IRS official to go after Falun Gong, which puts on the Shen Yun shows and is a prominent critic of the Chinese Communist Party.
Shen Yun did not immediately return a request for comment.