Internationally renowned ballet dancer Yat-Sen Chang, 49, (pictured) used his fame and respectability to groom and sexually assault four starstruck girls aged between 16 and 18
A former English National Ballet principal dancer faces a lengthy jail term after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting young female students. Internationally renowned ballet dancer Yat-Sen Chang, 49, used his fame and respectability to groom and sexually assault four starstruck girls aged between 16 and 18.
Chang would switch into a creepy mode and offer the girls sports massages, during which he touched them inappropriately.
He was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration at Isleworth Crown Court.
Yat-Sen Chang: Leading ballet dancer did not assault students
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image copyrightPA Media
image captionYat-Sen Chang has danced with companies in Cuba and France as well as with the English National Ballet
A former English National Ballet principal dancer has no idea why sexual assault allegations have been made against him, a court has heard.
Yat-Sen Chang is accused of groping female students while working in London between December 2009 and March 2016
The 49-year-old told Isleworth Crown Court he was a kind person and did not touch any of them inappropriately.
He denies two counts of assault by penetration on a female aged 16 or over and 12 counts of sexual assault.
10:55 EDT, 30 April 2021
An internationally renowned former English National Ballet dancer has denied groping young female students, saying he has no idea why the allegations have been made against him.
Yat-Sen Chang, 49, described himself as a kind person and said he had not touched any of his former female students in an inappropriate or sexual way.
Cuban-born Chang, who currently lives in the German city of Kiel, is on trial in London accused of 12 counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration on a female aged 16 or over.
After one victim alleged Chang pinned her to the floor and rubbed his crotch on her , the ballet star accused her of lying .
Who is Yat-Sen Chang?
Yat-Sen Chang Oliva is a Chinese-Cuban former principal dancer with English National Ballet. The 49-year-old dancer from Matanzas, Cuba, began his studies at the Cuban National Ballet School when he was nine years old. He graduated as a dancer and trainer in 1989 and immediately entered the renowned Cuban National Ballet Company. He is the youngest of three brothers (all of whom are professionally trained ballet dancers).
In 1992, he was invited to the International Dance Festival of La Baule, and in the same year, he joined Jeune Ballet de France, performing in a variety of countries. In 1993, he became a principal dancer with the English National Ballet.