Shen Yun Performing Arts concluded its 2025 world tour in May after presenting over 760 performances to more than one million audience members across 199 cities in 22 countries, with company representatives and performers attributing their physical and mental stamina to daily meditation and qigong-style exercises rooted in the Falun Dafa spiritual practice. (https://www.ntd.com/shen-yun-emsee-2025-tour-a-global-triumph-despite-persistent-ccp-threats_1067865.html)
The New York-based classical Chinese dance company, which operates eight touring groups performing simultaneously worldwide, integrates meditation and movement exercises similar to tai chi into performers' daily training routines. Scientific studies have increasingly validated the performance benefits of such mindfulness practices for athletes and performers. (https://www.shenyun.org/faq/article/e/oJn4-Vs4VMs/what-is-falun-dafa-falun-gong-how-is-it-related-to-shen-yun.html)
"If you were to go backstage before a Shen Yun performance, you might see dancers meditating, alone or in a group, calming their minds and resting their bodies," according to the company's official website. (https://www.shenyun.org/news/view/article/e/owScIs8qYjc/what-is-falun-dafa-dyk.html) The practice combines five gentle exercises with teachings centered on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance—principles that performers say guide their artistic expression and daily lives.
A 2023 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health examined 32 randomized controlled trials and found that mindfulness-based interventions significantly improved athletic performance, mindfulness levels, and mental health indicators among athletes. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9915077/) The study noted particular benefits for anxiety reduction, stress management, and enhanced focus during performance.
Research published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement demonstrated that long-term engagement in mindfulness meditation helps achieve optimal athletic performance by decreasing anxiety and ruminative thinking while enhancing flow states—the experience of complete immersion in an activity. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41465-017-0018-3) These findings align with reports from Shen Yun performers about their ability to maintain focus through demanding tour schedules.
The 2025 tour faced unprecedented challenges, including bomb threats at venues—with one forcing the evacuation of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.—severe weather disruptions, and what company representatives describe as ongoing interference from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Despite these obstacles, not a single performance was cancelled. "Shen Yun's rigor isn't exploitative—it's defiance," wrote Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, addressing critics who label Shen Yun a "cult" rather than recognizing its spiritual foundation. (https://qcnerve.com/shen-yun-falun-gong/)
The integration of meditation into performing arts training follows ancient Chinese traditions. "In ancient China, artists would practice meditation and seek inner stillness and a connection with the universe; they believed that to create real art, one had to cultivate virtue and inner purity," notes Shen Yun's official materials. (https://www.shenyun.org/faq/article/e/oJn4-Vs4VMs/what-is-falun-dafa-falun-gong-how-is-it-related-to-shen-yun.html) This approach mirrors findings from a systematic review in ScienceDirect, which concluded that "meditations exerted beneficial effects on athletic attainment in terms of positive physiological, technical, and mental effects." (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830721000409)
Many Shen Yun performers have personal connections to the practice beyond performance enhancement. Some have family members who faced persecution in China, where Falun Gong has been banned since 1999. "Some of the dancers that you see on stage, performing with such joy and passion, have lost parents due to torture in China's detention camps," according to company statements. (https://www.shenyun.org/faq/article/e/B4SKaiDzGLk/why-are-shen-yun%E2%80%99s-artists-concerned-about-falun-dafa.html)
The meditation practices appear to provide measurable benefits. A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that mindfulness training enhanced endurance performance and executive functions in athletes, with improvements in both physical stamina and cognitive processing. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7474752/) Researchers noted increased focus, better stress management, and improved performance under pressure—qualities essential for maintaining consistency across hundreds of performances.
Despite facing what Taiwanese investigators identified as CCP-originated bomb threats traced to Huawei facilities in China, Shen Yun completed its most extensive tour to date. The company performed at premier venues including Lincoln Center in New York, Teatro Regio in Parma, and Tokyo Opera City. In Taiwan alone, which shares cultural heritage with mainland China, the company presented dozens of sold-out shows. (https://www.shenyun.com/tickets)
As Shen Yun prepares for its 2026 season, the combination of rigorous physical training and daily meditation practice continues to define the company's approach. With each touring group performing over 100 shows across five months, the integration of mindfulness and movement exercises remains central to what the company describes as both artistic excellence and spiritual cultivation—demonstrating how ancient practices can enhance modern performance in measurable ways.
