Shen Yun performance organizers take National Arts Centre to court

Shen Yun performance organizers take National Arts Centre to court

Court filing alleges NAC improperly denied Shen Yun performance space

Organizers of the long-running Shen Yun show are going to court after the National Arts Centre called an indefinite halt to its shows following almost two decades of performances.

In an application for a judicial review filed in Federal Court on Tuesday, the Falun Dafa Association of Ottawa alleges the NAC acted improperly by denying Shen Yun performance space in 2026 and beyond.

Shen Yun is a New York-based performing arts and entertainment company associated with the Falun Gong movement, a religious and anti-Communist group claiming persecution by China.

The NAC hosted Shen Yun performances for 18 years.

CBC News previously reported the Crown corporation cut ties with the performance company last year following internal deliberations about potential blowback the arts centre would face over allegations regarding Shen Yun's treatment of audience members with disabilities and a breach of previous contract terms.

Emails released in an access to information request last year show the NAC heard from at least two MPs wondering about whether there would be a Shen Yun show in 2026.

Ottawa's National Arts Centre cuts ties with controversial Chinese dance group

The Falun Dafa Association of Ottawa, which helps to organize local Shen Yun performances, is now accusing the NAC of failing to properly engage with it over its 2026 show dates.

The association wants the NAC to produce a certified copy of all materials associated with the decision that won't allow it to perform at the arts centre.

It's also requesting information about meetings between NAC representatives and Chinese officials in Canada -- and is asking whether those meetings could have influenced the arts centre's decision.

The allegations made in the filing have not been tested in court.

Carl Martin, senior adviser for strategic initiatives at the National Arts Centre, said the NAC would not be commenting on the matter as it is before the courts.

The Falun Dafa Association's court filing says that a senior official with the NAC stated in a public meeting in 2025 that the arts centre would not comply with a request from a Chinese official to bar Shen Yun from performing.

The filing also alleges that, during that same meeting, the arts centre's president referred to concerns about Shen Yun's working conditions coming out of a New York State Department of Labour inquiry.

The New York Times reported in 2024 that Shen Yun performers were discouraged from seeking medical care, subjected to gruelling schedules and exposed to emotional abuse and manipulation.

Shen Yun and Falun Gong denied those allegations and claimed the dancers reporting ill treatment distorted the facts "in bizarre and dramatic ways."

They also accused the New York Times of playing into the hands of the Chinese government.

The court filing says the Falun Dafa Association was told by the NAC that the allegations of mistreatment were serious and that it wanted information about measures being taken to protect performers.

The association said it complied with the NAC's request.

In its court filing, the Falun Dafa Association says it was told by the NAC last September that Shen Yun would not be on the schedule for 2026 or for the foreseeable future.

It said the NAC stated it chose not to schedule Shen Yun for business reasons and that engagements with individuals from foreign embassies are not unusual.

Another Canadian venue, Montreal's Place des Arts, has also decided to not program Shen Yun.

Shen Yun's website shows it has performances planned for Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in 2027.

With files from Raffy Boudjikanian