“I have felt guilty for ten years.
That I hear that it continues, that I do and say nothing.
I feel complicit and I can't take it anymore.
» Yanis Marshall suppressed a few sobs as he testified at the microphone of BFMTV.
Thursday, the former dance teacher of the “Star Academy” announced that he was filing a complaint for sexual assault against the choreographer Bruno Vandelli.
Accusations rejected by the accused.
If his lawyer clarified the reasons for the complaint this Saturday, “aggravated rape, sexual assault and corruption of a minor”, Yanis Marshall gave more details on the facts he accuses his former teacher of.
They date back to 2004, the dancer was 14 years old, Bruno Vandelli 42.
💬 "I'm doing it so that there are never again children who suffer this from him"
Former Star Academy dance teacher Yanis Marshall returns to his complaint for "aggravated rape of a minor" filed against the choreographer Bruno Vandelli pic.twitter.com/M0rgwwKf64
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) January 20, 2024
The dancer reports that he began training with the choreographer when he was 13.
“In the dance world, there aren't many little boys.
I was one of the only ones.
And very quickly, there was a rapprochement on his part.
» “Real touching and much more” would then have happened before he got out “of all that around 16 years old”.
Yanis Marshall remembers when their toxic relationship began.
He talks about a coach who “showcased” him and choreographed solos for him.
According to the artist, Bruno Vandelli had arranged to meet him on a beach to collect an audio montage.
Eventually, the professor allegedly took him home.
“He told me we were going to watch a Janet Jackson concert in his room.
He puts it on, stands next to me and my legs start to shake.
Instinct, like I felt it was going to be weird.
From there he did to me what he did.
»
“I ended up crying every night”
The former “Star’Ac” evokes “manipulation”.
At the time, he considered the former Pop Star dance instructor as a "god", as his "father" and as his "lover".
When Yanis Marshall's mother found out, she allegedly "threatened" Bruno Vandelli, while sending her son to Florida, which "destroyed" their mother-child relationship for "years".
The young dancer then ends up “realizing” that he can have relationships with young people his age and “a physical disgust sets in” with the choreographer.
However, it would have taken years to complete.
“In my twenties, at every evening, even those where I was very happy, I ended every evening crying,” he explains.
Ten years later, I pointed the finger at him.
I thought I was the problem for a very long time.
»
According to him, Bruno Vandelli would have repeated this pattern with many young artists from “14 to 16 years old”.
These relationships would even be known in the community - "there are no surprises", without anyone denouncing it.
“In 30 years, he has never stopped,” he swears, speaking of events spread between 1990 and 2023 and of several complaints already filed by other victims.
If his call for witnesses remained unanswered, his post triggered a chain reaction.
“In the space of 24 hours, I more or less played the role of psychologist and I received many moving testimonies over the phone.
» He lists “17 people”, including “7 or 8 victims ready to testify”.
“Most of them are still very young,” he assures BFMTV.
It's me who is suing Bruno Vandelli and I want someone to help me in my fight.
I do it for me, but also for them and so that there are never again children who suffer this from him.
I'm doing it so he stops teaching children.
»