The Urban Legend

Shen Yun: Dance performance or abusive cult?

Max Nadler, Staff Writer • Mar 9, 2026

Driving through San Francisco, one is likely to spot billboards featuring graceful dancers leaping across a stage in bright, billowing costumes. These advertisements are for Shen Yun, a two-hour long...

Posters, traditional Chinese dancing, and a political prisoner: investigating Shen Yun’s religious connections

Zoe Lusk, Caboose editor • May 10, 2019

You’ve seen the ads. For most San Franciscans, the words “Shen Yun” summon images of the inescapable pastel posters. This year’s advertisements, which feature a serene woman leaping with arms outstretched...

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Shen Yun