Behind the Pageantry of Shen Yun, Untreated Injuries and Emotional Abuse

They began appearing about two decades ago, often around the holidays, and often at high-end venues: troupes of Chinese dancers swirling gracefully in colorful costumes.

First in New York City, then in Paris, Toronto and Taipei, the dancers — mostly teenagers and young adults — flipped and vaulted onstage in soaring routines meant to awe and entertain and also to spread the message of Falun Gong, the persecuted Chinese religious movement behind the performances.

Since then, the dance group, Shen Yun Performing Arts, has grown into an economic engine for the movement and its leaders, with brisk ticket sales on five continents and holdings of more than $265 million.

But for the young people who powered the show, the success has come at a steep cost.

In pursuit of ever larger audiences, Shen Yun has treated many of its performers as an expendable commodity, a New York Times investigation has found. It has routinely discouraged them from seeking medical care when their bodies have broken down, and commanded their obedience to grueling rehearsal and tour schedules through relentless emotional abuse and manipulation.

In interviews, some former dancers recounted performing through dislocated kneecaps, sprained ankles or other serious injuries, unwilling to seek medical treatment because the group’s belief system regarded such care as a crutch of the unfaithful.