Shen Yun in Town

A Chinese dance troupe coming to Eugene’s Hult Center for the Performing Arts this weekend is the subject of controversy due to its links to the Falun Gong religious movement and alleged abuse of its dancers. The Hult, which is owned by the city of Eugene, says it cannot censor who performs at the venue.

Shen Yun, which has performed at the Hult in the past, will return for three shows Jan. 25 and 26, with some tickets running from $80 to $150 per person on the Hult’s website.

Shen Yun, a traditional Chinese dance organization, has been known for nearly two decades as a group dedicated to using dance to show people an idea of China beyond the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a Shen Yun promotional video.

But last summer, with a bombshell year-long investigative report from The New York Times, Shen Yun, which promotes the Falun Gong religious movement that is persecuted in China, has been accused of being a cult that abuses its dancers. Most of the performers are teenagers or young adults, and the NYT says they are subjected to a grueling schedule and endure injury all while faking a smile on stage and being discouraged from seeking medical care due to Falun Gong’s belief that healing comes from faith.

“Since 2006, Shen Yun has been reviving the essence of Chinese civilization, deeply rooted in ancient values, like compassion, honesty and faith,” the promotional video says. In it, dancers can be seen striking graceful movements, accompanied by an orchestra. There’s bright, traditional Chinese clothing, serene faces and a narrator saying, “Movement begins with the heart.”

Their dancers are paid poorly, according to NYT reports, have limited access to the world outside of Shen Yun, and are pressured to spread the message of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa — the message which includes beliefs, according to its founder Li Hongzhi, such as Li being the creator of the universe and that followers can develop powers, like levitation.

In Shen Yun, dancers are regularly weighed in front of their peers, the Times investigation showed, and are ridiculed by instructors if they are deemed too heavy. They have limited interaction with their families, only being able to see them about a week a year — according to former performers.

Despite the Times’ revelations of how Shen Yun treats its performers, as well as Falun Gong’s links to right-wing extremist news source The Epoch Times, it’ll still be pirouettes and leaps at the Hult in January.

According to Rich Hobby, director of marketing for the Hult, since the city owns the performing arts center, it’s unable to censor who rents the space to perform. “As the venue, we don’t have any restrictions on rentals,” Hobby says. “It’s kind of a free speech view from the city in that we don’t censor who’s able to book or rent the space there.”

This rental structure, according to Hobby, is standard among performing arts centers. Hobby, who has been with Hult for eight years, says he couldn’t recall any instance when a group was denied a space at the Hult.

He says, “As the venue, we’re kind of between a rock and a hard place with how that operates. Adding from the public perspective, do they know what ‘Hult presents’ means versus what ‘Falun Gong presents’ means when they’re on our page.”

Simply, Shen Yun rented the space from Hult on its own accord, and was not sought after by Hult itself.

Shen Yun did not respond to Eugene Weekly’s requests for comments. But the group has responded to the NYT investigation on its website alleging that “their coverage seems to intentionally cherry-pick negative accounts from a few displeased former staff” and saying its themes overlap with CCP propaganda.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!