this will start a debate im sure.. but removing the fan leaves is a bad idea... you cant think of light as a physical force that stops when it hits an object.. depending on the surface the light is in, it may penetrate through it, such as leaves... think of a big thick tree with leaves in the middle of it... the light is able to penetrate through the leaves to reach lower foliage, and foliage inside the plant as well...
now the kind of light and the intensity of the light will change the amount of penetration the light can do... but trust me when i say your plants getting enough light...
removing the leaves will set you back... the fan leaves are like power generators for the plant.. they absorb the most light.. and turn out the most energy for the plant.... removing them just takes power away from the plant all together... or at least takes more available energy away..
imagine it like this... the fan leaves are all power plants and the smaller leaves are like little mini generators they are fed by the power plant.. now the generators will run without the power plant, but they have to work harder, and more than likely can't do the job the power plant was doing at supplying energy...
its not at all a needed thing to remove foliage.. as you can tell its one practice i am against.. if you really think you need to move foliage to allow light to penetrate you should try to tie the branches in a way that allows light through, or even try to tie the fan leaf away so that it lets light past it... but leaves shouldnt be removed unless they are 50% of more damaged or if you are lollipopping.. some argue even about removing them when they are damaged.. but most agree that removing anything from the plant that the plant doesnt want to drop itself is a bad idea...