‘Dancing for the Devil’: Updates on Netflix’s ‘TikTok cult’ series
Netflix’s latest docuseries is making waves on another massive media platform.
When “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” debuted on May 29, it brought allegations of abuse against the Shekinah Church and talent management company 7M Films in Los Angeles to a new level of public attention. In its first week on the streaming giant, the three-part docuseries amassed 4.4 million views, Variety reported.
The series follows former Shekinah and 7M Films members and their families; people who were still involved in them declined to participate. The church and agency claim they operate completely independently, although they are both run by Pastor Robert Shinn. The church opened in 1994, and Shinn founded 7M Films in 2021 to help social media stars and TikTok dancers find jobs in L.A.
The dancers who were represented by 7M Films started as social media collaborators, frequently posting dance videos together on TikTok. After a few of them began attending Bible study with Shinn, they invited friends to join what eventually turned into the core group in the alleged cult. Shinn reportedly called himself “the Man of God” and said his teachings would grant his followers salvation.
Those featured in the doc call Shinn an abusive cult leader. They say he kept them away from their families by telling them that in order to be saved, they had to “die” to their loved ones who did not follow his teachings. He reportedly told them that if they were “godly” enough, they would also save their families from damnation.
According to the dancers in the docuseries — all of whom were also members of the church — Shinn promised great wealth and gave financial advice. While the dancers say Shinn was able to get them brand deals, former member Aubrey Fisher alleges Shinn would take up to 70% of the dancers’ incomes.
Several women also accused him of sexual assault.
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With its popularity, the docuseries has caught the attention of celebrities, including Cardi B, who shared her thoughts on TikTok Live. She compared the dancers’ experiences to those of women she saw being taken advantage of in strip clubs.
“He’s manipulating them ’cause they feel like they need him, and y’all don’t,” the “WAP” rapper said, addressing the 7M members on June 4. “You’re the talent. He is not. ... Sometimes you become desperate because you feel like your talent is not getting you paid, but eventually [it] will come.”
Shinn filed a defamation lawsuit in 2022 against former members of the church including sisters and docuseries stars Priscylla (named as Elisha Priscylla Leigh in court documents) and Melanie Lee.
The Lee sisters and other ex-members of Shekinah countersued Shinn and the church last year, alleging “brainwashing, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, manipulation and exploitation.” The case is set to go to trial in 2025.
Following the docuseries’ release, many of the subjects have gone on to share more about their experiences, while others have stayed silent. Here’s what we know about past and present members of 7M and Shekinah.
Miranda Derrick
The docuseries centers on Miranda Derrick (neé Wilking). Her family — sister Melanie and parents Dean and Kelly Wilking — first took to Instagram Live in February 2022 to share their concerns that Miranda was part of a “cult.”
Derrick, who’s married to James “BDash” Derrick, is still a member of Shekinah Church and 7M Films.
After the series dropped, Derrick called it “one-sided,” adding that although she loves her family, she simply doesn’t see “eye to eye” with them.
Derrick addressed the docuseries in more detail on Instagram and TikTok last week. She said that since the doc premiered, she and her husband had been followed and stalked, and had received hate mail and threats of violence, even death: “Our lives have been put in danger.”
She attended her sister‘s wedding in May, shortly before to the release of the docuseries that she blames for widening the divide between her and her family.
“I don’t understand how my parents and my sister thought that this documentary would help me or help our relationship in any way,” Derrick said. “I have been getting together with my family for the past couple years privately to work on our relationship, to make things right, to mend what has been broken, and I’ve been loving it. ... This documentary has made it very difficult to continue doing that.
“And honestly, I think that my parents and my sister have focused so much on this documentary that they’ve forgotten on working on any relationship with me and that hurts — that hurts me to say.”
Melanie Wilking
Melanie was the other half of the Wilking sisters dancing duo before it split up. Wilking married Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler on May 25. Her sister and brother-in-law, Miranda and James “BDash” Derrick, whom Wilking was debating in the docuseries whether to invite, both attended the wedding.
In response to Miranda Derrick’s claims of threats of violence, Wilking told People magazine last week she was “very sorry that she has experienced that because our only intent was to save her from an unsafe environment and to give her love and know that we’re here to support her.”
She continued to denounce Shinn, saying her sister’s claims were the work of the pastor and didn’t represent Derrick’s views.
“She’s so loving and kind and loved our family, and so for her to point fingers at us, it’s just not her true self,” Wilking told People.
Robert Shinn
Shinn is the controversial figure at the center of the doc.
Former Shekinah member Lydia Chung unsuccessfully sued Shinn and the church in 2009 for fraud and labor laws violations. She alleged the church and Shinn had “exerted undue influence, mind control, coercive persuasion, oppression and other intimidating tactics.” She also said he‘d defrauded her out of $3.8 million.
Shinn still lives in L.A. While he has not personally responded to the docuseries, 7M said on Instagram that the series is a “slanderous work of fiction, born from a failed extortion attempt.” The post alleged that the Lee sisters and other unnamed co-conspirators had launched “a concerted smear campaign” in 2022.
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“We will continue to pursue all legal remedies available to stop the spread of salacious lies and expect to be fully vindicated in court,” the post concluded.
Melanie Lee responded June 5 on Instagram.
“Regarding the baseless statement Mr. Shinn’s camp has posted to his social media, I will say one thing — the lawsuit and documentary speak for themselves,” Lee wrote. “Mr. Shinn has already been ordered by the Court to pay over $75,000 in attorneys’ fees for having filed meritless claims against me and Ms. Leigh and we are looking forward to presenting our case to the jury — and seeing justice served.”
The documentary showed former members trying to build a sexual assault case against Shinn, but no such charges have been brought against him. TMZ reported that two cases were rejected by the police due to insufficient evidence.
Melanie Lee
Melanie is the younger sister of Priscylla Lee. The two were born in South Korea, where their father abandoned them and their mother struggled with alcohol and gambling addictions.
They moved to L.A. and eventually found Shekinah Church while looking for community. She said Shinn opened businesses and hired church members as employees, targeting low-income immigrants so he could underpay them. He also allegedly decided the living arrangements of church members, eventually separating Melanie and Priscylla.
Melanie left the church after a decade. She said she knew she needed to leave after Shinn asked her to sleep with a fellow church member.
“This process has been difficult and at times debilitating, but seeing and feeling your outpouring of love, support and positivity has lifted me up, brought me to tears and made it all worth it,” Lee said in her June 5 Instagram post.
Melanie has a daughter, Devyn, who was also featured in the series.
Priscylla Lee
Priscylla joined Shekinah after her sister and stayed after she left, for a total of 23 years. The two are working on repairing their relationship.
During the show, Priscylla opened up about her mental health struggles and suicidal ideation after leaving the church. She alleged that Shinn had sexually abused her when she was a member. She said it started with him “manipulating” her into giving him massages and spending one-on-one time together. After her sister left the church, Priscylla said, Shinn began coercing her by claiming she had to repent for Melanie’s actions.
Priscylla alleged that Shinn continued to abuse her after he got married, and that his wife, Hannah, attacked her once she discovered the “affair.” Priscylla then left the church.
She has moved out of L.A. in an effort to heal, according to the docuseries. Priscylla is not on social media and has not commented on the series publicly.
James ‘BDash’ Derrick
BDash’s TikTok account has been inactive since May 20. He has not posted on Instagram since May 31; his seven most recent posts are dance videos in collaboration with wife Miranda’s account.
BDash specializes in krump. He frequently danced with Kevin “Konkrete” Davis, and the duo joined Shinn’s church and agency together.
He has reposted an Instagram story from his sister, Tamra Derrick, that condemns the Netflix series.
“That s— is a one sided story why wasn’t James family interviewed for this documentary he has family too,” Tamra wrote.
BDash seconded his sister’s thoughts: “She said it,” he wrote. He is still a member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church.
Kevin ‘Konkrete’ Davis
Konkrete left 7M Films in July 2022 after Shinn allegedly asked members to sign nondisclosure agreements.
He originally joined the church with his friend and frequent collaborator BDash. The pair competed on the NBC series “World of Dance” together in 2018. After Konkrete left the church, he and BDash stopped following each other on social media.
Konkrete went on to dance backup on Beyoncé‘s 2023 Renaissance world tour. The krumper was hired by the Grammy winner after she saw his dance videos on social media, he told KQED in January.
Konkrete is also a musician. His most recent single, “Now and Then,” was released in January.
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Since leaving Shekinah, Konkrete has modeled for Louis Vuitton and performed as part of an ensemble of 65 male dancers during Ryan Gosling’s live rendition of the “Barbie” hit “I’m Just Ken” at this year’s Oscars.
The docuseries introduced his relationship with fellow social media creator (and now wife) Kailea Gray.
Following the show’s release, Konkrete thanked Netflix on Instagram and assured his followers that he is “good.”
“I’m getting older, starting to understand things a lot more,” he said in a video on June 1. “I’m OK with learning late. A lot of people, or certain people, are saying ‘Oh, they just have weak minds,’ and I think it takes a weak mind to say that about another person, because we’re all learning.”
Kailea Gray
The dancer left Shekinah at the same time as Konkrete, now her husband. She frequently posts on social media with him, often promoting his music.
Gray and former 7M member Kylie Douglas are still friends. The pair shared an Instagram story together last week.
“Healing is an art: a journey through the valleys of pain and the peaks of self-discovery,” Gray wrote May 31 on Instagram. “There are wounds we didn’t deserve, but the strength we find in mending them is a testament to our resilience. ... Together, we rise, healed and whole.”
On June 2, Gray stitched a TikTok video of a creator calling for an investigation into BDash.
“My issue is that you guys are focusing on the victims instead of the actual perpetrator, the main person that we’re, like, really supposed to go after,” she said, referring to Shinn.
“I think it’s more important to focus on the person that is influencing him to do the bad things than the good person that is being influenced by this horrible, terrible man,” she added.
Nick ‘Raino’ Raiano
Raino deleted his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube accounts following the docuseries’ release. He had previously posted dance content, frequently collaborating with other 7M members.
Instagram account @exposing7M, which was featured in the doc and is in contact with former members, posted that Raino is still a member of 7M. His parents, Lawrence and Migdalia Raiano, who appeared in the series, also say he is still a member. Migdalia promoted the series on her Facebook page, using the post to warn against cult tactics.
“Cults often recruit the best and the brightest people who want to serve God,” she wrote. “The leaders want to do as little as possible and are often narcissistic people who feed off the generous qualities that they could never possess.”
Aubrey Fisher
Fisher is a dancer and choreographer. As he gained popularity, he started collaborating with other dance influencers, including Vik White. The pair performed on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2021.
He began to attend meetings with Shinn after friends and collaborators BDash, White and Raino invited him. Fisher left the group at the same time as Konkrete, Gray and Douglas, his then-girlfriend.
Fisher still posts dance videos on Instagram and TikTok. He recently made his acting debut in the one-night play “Meet Me in the Prayer Room.” He released his first single, “No Trace,” on May 31 and continues to tease new music on Instagram.
Kylie Douglas
Douglas joined Shekinah after her then-boyfriend, Fisher, began going to Bible study with Shinn. As a couple, they often posted dance videos together. She left the church at the same time he did.
Douglas is one of the women who has accused Shinn of sexual assault. The documentary showed her efforts to report the alleged abuse to the police, but no charges have been filed against the pastor.
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Following her departure from 7M, Douglas founded a junior dance company. She is under new talent management.
In an interview with Extra, Douglas defended the documentary against what she called Miranda Derrick’s “one-sided” accusations.
“[Derrick’s claims] hurt me because we have all these people who are really trying to help them, including myself. But at the same time I know where she’s coming from; she’s so involved in the group that she’s not able to see the clear message of this documentary,” she said.
Vik White
White has not addressed the series or its claims, although he’s still active on TikTok.
Born Slavik Pustovoytov, White moved to the United States from Ukraine at the age of 12. He was a contestant on the 15th season of “So You Think You Can Dance,” coming in fourth.
He appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” with Fisher in 2021 and again in 2022, dancing and sharing support for his family in Ukraine.
He frequently collaborates with Shinn’s son, Isaiah, and on May 14 posted a video on Instagram that was shot by Isaiah. Set to “Like That” — the Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar hit — the dance video was taken in a theater and is one of many that 7M members have done together. BDash and Mirand Derrick also shared videos that day that were shot in the same location.
White appeared this year in Anne Hathaway’s Prime Video movie “The Idea of You,” playing a member of the fictional boy band August Moon.
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