There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the alleged cult at the center of Netflix’s newest true crime documentary, Dancing For the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult. Namely: Is this really a cult?
Cults have long been a fascination of American culture, from Charles Manson’s doomsday cult in Los Angeles to the infamous cyanide-laced Flavor-aid of Jonestown. If 7M is a cult, it’s one that has many perspectives. The documentary follows the TikTok dancer Melanie Wilking and her family as they spearhead an initiative to get her sister, Miranda Derrick, out of a presumed religious cult. The documentary proposes that Robert Shinn, the head of the Shekinah Church, manages many successful dancers and uses them to his advantage. Dancing For the Devil executive producer Jessica Acevedo explained to TODAY.com the origins of the documentary.
“There is a man that started a management company, managing some really successful, famous TikTok dancers, and ultimately funneling — maybe (for) lack of better words — into his church. And as we started to investigate it, we realized the story goes much deeper and darker than we could have ever imagined it.”
Dancing For the Devil tracks the trajectory of Shinn’s involvement with these dancers in a strange combination of artist management, and religion.
Where is Robert Shinn?
Miranda and many TikTok dancers got involved with Robert Shinn through his son, Isaiah. Isaiah was a videographer for Miranda’s then-boyfriend, now husband, James, and soon connected the couple with his pastor father. Under the scope of helping these dancers, Shinn created the management company 7M. He managed many dancers under this umbrella, but it was also connected to his Shekinah Church. Dancers were encouraged to attend dinner parties where scripture was read. This was only the start of the strange behavior.
The Wilking family alleged that Derrick and her fellow dancers were unable to contact their families, which led her to fear for her sister. They became concerned when Miranda declined to return to their home in Michigan to attend her grandfather’s funeral. Telling them she could not leave without permission from someone “closer to God than you.” Her family was ultimately not invited to Miranda’s wedding to James, and were no longer a part of her life. The documentary also follows many former members who severed ties with their families under the guise of getting closer to God. The film additionally contains allegations of sexual abuse and financial control at the hands of Shinn.
TODAY reported that the church was the subject of a civil lawsuit in March 2023 that is “a cult operating under the disguise of a religious institution.” As of this writing, Dancing For the Devil is on Netflix’s Top 10, leading many to wonder about the fate of Shinn and his organization. Since the release of the documentary, Shinn has not received any criminal charges for his role in 7M. The civil lawsuit is set to go to trial in 2025.
Published: Jun 4, 2024 06:43 pm