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It seems there’s no business priests won’t touch as long as it gets them money. Like the recent case of a Catholic priest getting arrested for cooking crystal meth in his parish rectory. So, a church running a management company to handle famous TikTok dancers—and ripping them off most of their revenue—might seem bizarre at first. But when the exploitative business model becomes clear, you go, “Aha!”
Directed by Derek Doneen, Netflix’s three-part documentary series “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” explores allegations against Robert Israel Shinn, the founder of Shekina Church, for running a cult-like organization through his management company, 7M Films. The organization is accused of taking away over 70% of the earnings of the artists it manages, after brain-washing them and isolating them from their families.
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“Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” begins with the story of two sisters, Melanie and Miranda Wilking, who ran a popular TikTok channel called the Wilking Sisters. They often posted dance videos together, amassing millions of followers and securing numerous brand deals. However, things changed when Miranda started dating popular dancer James Derrick, aka BDash, who introduced her to the Shekinah Church and 7M Management. Miranda cut herself off from her family, which led to the Wilking family making a desperate plea on social media to re-unite with their daughter, while they also accused Shinn of running a cult-like organization. The story quickly blew up.
Miranda’s family reveals their ordeal and struggle to convince Miranda to break free from the Shekina church, but without much success. The documentary also features several interviews of former members of the Shekinah Church, including some popular dancers who were friends with Miranda and left 7M Films when things started to feel off to them. While 7M Films was only found a few years ago, Shinn has been running the Church for decades and the documentary features another pair of sisters, both of whom escaped Shinn’s grip after years of exploitation.
Packed with several great dancing sequences, “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” is visually very engaging. The documentary includes numerous audio recordings of Robert Israel Shinn’s sermons, many of which reveal the manipulative nature of his interactions with church members. However, since the legal case against Shinn has barely progressed, it feels like Netflix rushed this release. Nonetheless, it serves as an exposé on Shinn and could potentially help others identify more victims or realize they might be involved in a cult. In-fact, the Wilking family’s decision to tell their story did make others come forward and speak about their own stories of being exploited by the Shekinah church.
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The creators should have included interviews with a behavioral psychologist or cult expert to provide insight into how individuals like Shinn target their victims and which demographics are more vulnerable to being drawn into such groups. This would have given viewers a clearer understanding of the psychological and socioeconomic factors at play in these cases. While some viewers may be able to read between the lines, without expert commentary, others might mistakenly see the ‘victims’ as naive individuals who were simply deceived by a charismatic figure, rather than recognizing the deeper, more complex dynamics at work.
Rating: 6 on 10. Watch ‘Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult’ on Netflix.
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