Shen Yun Seeks Dismissal of “Baseless and Misguided” Lawsuit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2025

CUDDEBACKVILLE, N.Y., July 8, 2025—On July 7, 2025, Shen Yun Performing Arts and other defendants filed a motion to dismiss in Sun et al. v. Shen Yun Performing Arts, Inc., et al. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“This lawsuit ignores the First Amendment and maligns practices and experiences that are common to religious schools and elite dance academies across the country,” said Justin Butterfield, an attorney representing the Falun Gong defendants.

For almost 20 years, Shen Yun Performing Arts has brought the wonder of authentic Chinese culture and traditional Chinese beliefs to millions around the world. Included among Shen Yun’s performers are some of the best classical Chinese dancers in the world. To meet this standard requires extraordinary discipline, work ethic, and dedication on the part of the artists. Shen Yun is also a company rooted in faith, which values moral living and self-improvement as key ingredients to delivering world-class artistic and cultural offerings to its audience.

The plaintiffs in this case once so desired to join Shen Yun that they took multiple auditions before finally gaining admission to Fei Tian Academy of the Arts (one of two schools that share a campus with Shen Yun and where many Shen Yun performers have been trained) and, eventually, succeeding in dancing with Shen Yun. Unfortunately, plaintiff Sun was eventually expelled from Fei Tian College for violating the school’s code of conduct, while plaintiff Cheng failed to reach the artistic standards required for admission to the College. Nevertheless, after leaving Shen Yun, both plaintiffs continued to volunteer for Shen Yun-related or Falun Gong-related organizations.

Now, many years later and after they say they made connections with Beijing Dance Academy (a Chinese government-run entity with several Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members sitting on its board), the plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit filled with allegations, which reframe their experiences to portray them in a twisted light. What is more, the allegations from these two plaintiffs stand in stark contrast to the content of a petition signed by over 750 current and former Shen Yun performers that describe such allegations as “gross distortions and false narratives about our work, our faith, and our way of life.”

“Essentially, their allegations reveal nothing more than the fact that their parents enrolled them in an elite dance training academy with a religious foundation,” said Butterfield.

“Furthermore, the plaintiffs’ allegations do not raise any violations of federal law,” continued Butterfield. “They are casting aspersions upon entirely legal, and in fact common, activity for religious communities and institutions with elite training programs.” “I believe this lawsuit is a misguided attempt to deprecate the pursuit of excellence and discard the freedom our country affords to religious communities to live according to their faith,” said Shen Yun Vice President Ms. Ying Chen. “I would expect that religious schools and elite training academies across the country are watching this case very closely to see if the very foundations of their institutions—the core elements that define them and make them great—will be properly defended.”

The plaintiffs also claim that they received injuries during their dance training or performances that went untreated. Shen Yun notes that the success of their program depends on having healthy dancers and that they ensure that both emergency and non-emergency medical treatment for any injuries, sickness, or mental health needs is always available to any dancers performing with Shen Yun. In fact, Northern Medical Center located in Middletown, New York (just a short drive from Shen Yun’s campus) regularly examines and treats Shen Yun performers, who undergo X-rays and MRIs and receive physical therapy or any other necessary medical treatment. In one case of a ruptured Achilles tendon, Shen Yun arranged for a dancer to be flown to Detroit for surgery with an expert who treats similar injuries for the Detroit Pistons basketball team. Other dancers have chosen to return to their home countries for surgery and rehabilitation before rejoining Shen Yun.

Unfortunately, because Falun Gong is preserving the traditional Chinese values and religious beliefs that the Chinese Communist Party has spent decades attempting to eradicate and is now attacking with renewed vigor, Falun Gong-affiliated persons and organizations are constantly harassed. The CCP spreads disinformation about Falun Gong adherents and the organizations they started, such as Shen Yun, wherever it can. In March 2025, X took down thousands of fake accounts whose sole purpose appeared to be promoting negative content about Shen Yun, primarily articles by The New York Times. According to data from BuzzSumo, a social media analytics tool, these accounts had boosted one New York Times article about Shen Yun to become the most shared New York Times article on the X platform in more than a year. Additionally, this past year has also seen multiple social media accounts impersonating prominent Shen Yun artists, posting negative content under their name and profile image until the real individuals reported them and they too were removed by X.

As part of this relentless campaign of transnational repression, Shen Yun receives multiple threats every month of bombings, mass shootings, and threats to rape and kill its female performers. Taiwanese police investigators have traced some of these threats back to China. In February, someone threatened to bomb The Kennedy Center if they allowed Shen Yun’s performance to continue, prompting a complete evacuation of the facility.

Perhaps the most alarming thing is this: after years of no action, these plaintiffs and others like them filed lawsuits against Shen Yun amidst an escalated campaign by Beijing in which the Chinese Ministries of State and Public Security openly called for the use of the U.S. legal system to tie up Shen Yun resources, generate bad press, and use “more creative” narratives “to prompt investigations” and “turn American society against Falun Gong and Shen Yun.”

“The substance and timing of these lawsuits is exactly what Beijing called for,” said Chen. “This represents a convergence we find deeply troubling and one with national security implications.”

If the motion to dismiss is granted, the lawsuit will be dismissed.

More Resources:

Information about flying the Shen Yun dancer to Detroit for surgery: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeO6iV3xe3A

Interview with medical doctor who regularly treats Shen Yun dancers: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojPeL7ydIwI

Interview about the CCP weaponizing American media: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS3RS4vJguI

New Campaign Targeting Shen Yun, Falun Gong: 
https://fdinfo.center/new-ccp-campaign

Transnational Repression Incident Tracker: 
https://fdinfo.center/incidents

Taiwan Police Trace Bomb Threats to China: 
https://fdinfo.center/bomb-threat-source

Key Points About The New York Times’ “Investigation” of Shen Yun, Falun Gong: 
https://fdinfo.center/nyt-key-things

X Takes Down Chinese Accounts Amplifying New York Times: 
https://sypa.info/x-take-down 

About Shen Yun Performing Arts

Founded in 2006, Shen Yun is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reviving classical Chinese culture and faith traditions through dance and live orchestra. Eight touring companies present more than 700 performances annually across five continents. More information is available at shenyun.org