On average, 85% of our touring members are adults. The remaining 15% are reserved for talented young dancers and musicians. They perform on a study-on-tour practicum with the Fei Tian schools, part of a program approved by the New York State Board of Education.

Young artists come to Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and Fei Tian College – schools that share a campus with Shen Yun -- because they want to train at an elite level. If they reach certain standards, they then have the opportunity to perform with Shen Yun, receive real life experience and elective class credit, and get to tour the world.

Dancers are typically young because of the athletic nature of classical Chinese dance. It’s similar to competitive sports, classical ballet, or Olympic gymnastics.

The professional adults in Shen Yun—be they dancers, musicians, or production crew—are all salaried and also have their expenses paid, including hotels, transportation, and food for months on the road each year, which isn’t the case with many touring companies.

The student performers are on full scholarships, including room and board, amounting to around $50,000 a year. All of their expenses during the tour are paid, and they receive a stipend that helps cover their study-related expenses. Upon graduating, many of them apply to work at Shen Yun as fully salaried professionals, all without a single dollar of debt. Other Fei Tian College students go on to further education or decide to do something else, like starting their own dance studio. Some of the Fei Tian Academy students, likewise, choose to attend other colleges, like Columbia University, which has accepted several of our graduates.

Shen Yun’s annual revenue is comparable to other performing arts institutions, such as American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and much less than New York City Ballet.

With eight troupes touring the world simultaneously and a brand-new production every year, Shen Yun is a large-scale operation. Its expenses include salaries for dancers, musicians, technical crew, artistic teams, and administrative staff; training facilities and rehearsal theater; props, costumes, audio, video, and lighting gear; advertising and marketing; buses and trucks; food and medical services; hotels; and flights for hundreds of performers.

Moreover, our management wants to be ready for any eventuality in an uncertain world. During Covid, for example, while entire performing arts companies laid off their employees, Shen Yun was able to keep paying the artists’ and staff’s salaries even while not performing for a year and a half.

Absolutely not. Our dancers receive medical treatment if injured, including surgery and physical therapy when necessary. In fact, a physician comes to our training center at least once a week.

Doctors who have regularly treated Shen Yun performers have come out publicly to say that such claims are both “ridiculous” and “insulting.”

Shen Yun dancers have also shared their experiences of how the company helped arrange necessary treatment and was very supportive throughout their recovery.

Fei Tan students have regular internet access through many public computers and often use them to complete schoolwork, correspond with family and friends, shop on Amazon, and so on. As is the policy in many schools around the country, however, computers may not be used to access inappropriate content.

Fei Tian students are given non-smart phones to call or text anyone they like. The schools indeed do not allow students to have smartphones or use social media accounts on campus. In this regard, they were some 15 years ahead of others, as many top school districts around the country are now adopting a similar policy.

The professional company members, including students who graduated, usually live off-campus with their families and commute to work. They have smartphones, cars, and contribute to the vibrant communities of their local towns.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spreads disinformation about Falun Gong adherents wherever it can. When the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners started in 1999, the CCP began employing this kind of misleading labeling to justify its religious persecution and human rights violations.

In the 1990s, before the persecution began, top Chinese government officials praised Falun Gong for its health and well-being benefits. In 1999, because Falun Gong had grown so popular and independent, with more adherents than there were members of the Communist Party, CCP Secretary Jiang Zemin ordered Falun Gong eliminated. CCP propaganda campaigns targeted Falun Gong with misleading labels and other sensational disinformation to justify and deter international criticism of its brutal campaign.

In the interim, the movement has gained adherents across the globe, and not just in China. Those people are also targets of CCP propaganda, since silencing them is an essential part of the crusade to characterize Falun Gong as something other than what it is. Americans in all walks of life practice Falun Gong, peacefully in accordance with its principles.

Scholars, experts, and human rights organizations debunk these false ”cult” labels as merely political tools used by the CCP for no other reason than to justify its desire to wipe out Falun Gong and its practitioners around the world. The quality of Shen Yun performances, and their popularity among audiences everywhere, are evidence that truth can still prevail over the forces of repression. We are proud that our Shen Yun artists, and the staff that supports them, remain committed to artistic excellence, and are not deterred by these efforts.