Shen Yun Performing Arts, the New York–based classical Chinese dance company, will begin its 20th record-setting worldwide tour this fall. The season will extend through Spring 2026, with more than 760 performances scheduled in over 200 cities across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America. This milestone underscores Shen Yun’s claim as the largest and longest-touring dance company globally, judging by its eight troupes that tour simultaneously and its annual reach to more than one million audience members (Wikipedia, The Epoch Times).
Since its first global tour in late 2006, Shen Yun has expanded from a single troupe to eight—each made up of about 60 dancers and musicians—which perform concurrently to maximize geographic coverage. During the 2024 season, these troupes delivered 799 shows in 199 cities across 26 countries, to over a million people, setting records for both venue appearances and ticket sales within the genre (Shen Yun, Wikipedia).
“For me, it was just visually stunning,” said Lyndsay Burrows, a Toronto-based figure skating coach, after attending a March performance at the Four Seasons Centre. “It was beautiful, it was spectacular. The colors, the costumes, the dancing, the stories—my children were engaged the whole time” (Shen Yun). Burrows’s reaction reflects a broader pattern of audience enthusiasm documented worldwide.
Performances blend classical Chinese dance with ethnic and folk traditions, presenting narratives drawn from ancient legends, historical episodes, and contemporary themes. Each two-hour show typically features 16 to 18 short dance pieces set to a live orchestra that integrates Western and Chinese instruments—an arrangement unique to Shen Yun. The company’s in-house composers craft original scores annually to accompany newly choreographed works (Shen Yun).
Shen Yun holds a registered patent for its digital projection system, which synchronizes animated backdrops with live performers to create immersive visual environments. According to the company’s official factsheet, more than 300 world-premiere dance pieces have been developed since its founding, underscoring Shen Yun’s commitment to artistic innovation (Shen Yun).
Rehearsals and administrative operations take place at Dragon Springs, the company’s sprawling training campus in Deerpark, New York, which houses rehearsal halls and performance spaces. The campus is also the site of one of the most authentic, Tang-style temple grounds in the West. The campus supports every aspect of production, from choreography and music composition to costume design and technical staging.
Shen Yun is operated by practitioners of Falun Gong and is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, funding its global operations primarily through ticket sales rather than government or corporate subsidies (Wikipedia).
Despite its international acclaim, Shen Yun has never performed in mainland China due to its practitioners’ spiritual affiliation, which the Chinese government deems subversive and has persecuted, forcing some of the founders to leave China and immigrate to the United States to pursue religious and political freedom (Freedom House). Chinese diplomatic efforts to cancel overseas performances—through pressure on venue managers, local government leaders, and, in some cases, bomb threats—have failed to disrupt the company’s schedule. In April, a false bomb threat evacuated a Southern California venue hours before a show, yet the performance proceeded to a sold-out audience after security was cleared, while a similar bomb threat against the dance company took place at Washington’s Kennedy Center.
Ticket prices generally start at US $80 for standard seating, with premium and VIP packages available at higher rates, reflecting strong demand in major metropolitan markets. Local presenters manage marketing, logistics and ticket distribution in their respective regions (Shen Yun).
Audience feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. A TV presenter in Canada described the show as “family-friendly, colorful and thought-provoking,” while a mayor in southern California said he was “blown away” by the performance’s technical precision and cultural storytelling (The Epoch Times).
Industry analysts note that few performing arts organizations rival Shen Yun’s scale, frequency and thematic consistency. By sustaining eight companies and delivering new productions annually, Shen Yun continues to set global records for venue appearances and ticket sales within the classical dance sector (Wikipedia).
As Shen Yun embarks on its landmark 20th tour this fall, the company reaffirms its mission to revive and share five millennia of Chinese cultural heritage through dance and music. The season’s extensive itinerary offers a rare opportunity for global audiences to experience a living tradition that spans both ancient history and contemporary innovation.
