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The Real Story of Shen Yun
The Remarkable Schools
Where Shen Yun Talent is Born
Fei Tian—The Dream Schools for Many Families
The Remarkable Schools Where Shen Yun Talent is Born
Fei Tian—The Dream Schools
for Many Families
In a world suffocating under screens, endless scrolling, and hollow distractions, Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and Fei Tian College are a breath of fresh air.
These aren’t just schools—they’re sanctuaries where focus sharpens, creativity ignites, and purpose takes root. Students here don’t just dabble; they dive headfirst into the timeless elegance of classical arts, guided by a spiritual practice that nurtures students to be genuine, compassionate, and resilient. It’s a bold counterpoint to every parent’s quiet dread: tech-addicted kids lost in shallow noise, drifting with little purpose.
At Fei Tian, talent isn’t just honed to perform—it’s forged to inspire, to heal, and stand defiantly against the persecution of the Falun Gong faith in China. This is education with soul, a place where beauty and discipline converge to shape lives and, to some extent, the world.
Fei Tian Academy of the Arts is a religious K-12 school specializing in the arts in the Hudson Valley, New York.
It holds an absolute charter granted by the New York State Board of Regents and carries full registered status with the New York State Education Department.
Fei Tian College is a religiously-affiliated college that offers a range of bachelor and master’s degree programs in the arts and sciences on its two campuses in the Hudson Valley. The main campus has a special focus on classical Chinese dance, music, and stage production and design.
It is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
• Both schools were established by people who do the Falun Gong spiritual practice
• Fei Tian College is notably the first U.S. institution of higher education to offer degrees in classical Chinese dance, including the terminal Master of Fine Arts degree
• Their faculties are among the finest teachers and performers of classical Chinese dance in the world
A Beautiful Mind
The Fei Tian campus mirrors this vision. Nestled in 400+ acres of rolling hills in New York’s Hudson River Valley, the campus includes spiritual grounds complete with timber-frame Buddhist-style buildings as well as forest walking paths. Concrete-and-stucco halls boast cozy dormitories, a stunning concert hall, a bakery, koi ponds, and sprawling, modern dance studios. NYC and shopping malls aren’t far, with campus shuttles offering rides on rest days.
The Feitian schools are located on a 400 acre campus called Dragon Springs, which also features authentic Tang-style Buddhist temple grounds and the training center for Shen Yun Performing Arts.
The Feitian schools are located on a 400 acre campus called Dragon Springs, which also features authentic Tang-style Buddhist temple grounds and the training center for Shen Yun Performing Arts.
But what makes these schools special are the people. At Fei Tian Academy, while honing performing arts skills on top of attending the typical American high school classes, they earn a solid average SAT of 1190, and that’s with every student participating. And at Fei Tian College, students are not only stellar performers of classical dance and music; many choreograph and compose.
The campus abounds with creative energy, but also, a very Zen vibe.
Each day, the students’—and staff’s—schedule includes meditation and the study of Falun Gong’s Buddhist teachings.
This, on top of a “dumb phones only” rule on campus, produces some very focused students. Sure, there are multiple computer labs, school-issued tablets, lots of student-initiated multimedia projects, and so on, but the technology is not nearly the distraction it so often is elsewhere.
Ask the teachers at Fei Tian, and they’ll tell you—the students’ focus in class surpasses that which they’ve experienced at previous schools. The meditation and Falun Gong’s emphasis on character help students—and the entire community—work on bettering both heart and mind, creating some pretty efficient learners.
When asked about his math students, Albert Roman noted, “I find that my students here progress, as borne out by their test results, twice as fast as kids I’ve taught at other schools.” He recalls, “I used to have students who were up late gaming, or who were distracted by their social media feeds, and who came into class bleary-eyed. But here at Fei Tian, it’s a teacher’s dream.”
A spirit of self-improvement is a quality that the students are expected to bring to all areas of life, including, of course, the academic classroom. And, it’s for real.
English teacher Emily Myers recalls, “This past year, after midterms, I had each student consider areas where they could do better in the future. I had them do a bit of reflection on paper, in light of how they did on various aspects of their test, and speak with a peer about what, concretely, they were going to do differently going forward. Well, I was extremely touched to come into class the next day to find a very different group of kids! They had said that they would change, and they meant it. It was a very special moment in my 20-year teaching career.”
Connection and Growth
The campuses also boast a strong sense of community, which helps dispel the feeling of isolation so common among adolescents. In the cafeteria, for example, only round tables can be found, which fosters more person-to-person interaction.
There is a closeness among the students you can feel. “Here at Fei Tian I feel I’ve found the closest group of friends ever—more than in any sports team or club I was in in the past,” said sophomore Jesse Browde. “It’s like a real brotherhood, and I know we’ll be friends for life.”
Sure, just like at any boarding school—especially a highly selective and elite arts one—there are students who find themselves unhappy and decide to move on. The performing arts require a high level of self-discipline, after all. Hours of self-practice in the music practice room, near-daily stretching sessions in the dance studio, on and on, year in and year out.
Yet for most, these experiences not only create deep bonds but foster a keen knack for teamwork. Classical performing arts are, generally, not just an individual thing. They involve profound cooperation and an extraordinary level of sensitivity to those around you—whether it be in a dance or musical ensemble. Especially if your goal is to become world-class.
Add to that dorm life, and potentially world travel with your classmates for performances, and you learn how to get along, work well with others, be constructive, and have grit. From this—producing art and growing in community—you also develop strong personal responsibility because, in a sense, you always have a part to play.
A Better World
The fruits of Fei Tian’s labors—by students, faculty, and volunteers—have been bountiful, and beautiful.
A School
that
Changes
Lives
A School That
Changes Lives
Kenji Kobayashi
From: Tokyo
Art form: Dance
Kenji, who studied at Fei Tian from his high school all the way through a master’s degree, has become a skilled choreographer. He is passionate about sharing stories like those of his family on stage: Kenji’s grandmother, who is Chinese, was persecuted in China for her faith.
Lillian Parker
From: Toronto
Art form: Dance
Lilly’s experience with studying classical Chinese dance has opened up a whole new world for her, especially when it comes to Chinese culture. Her personal takeaway? The importance of gratitude, especially toward parents.
Freda Wang
From: Washington, D.C.
Art form: Music
Freda went from being a little girl learning violin who “would practice for two minutes and get bored,” into a focused gold medalist, thanks to Fei Tian. She notes that excelling at violin has taken a lot of self-discipline and time, but concludes, “I learned so much and I would not trade it for anything.”
Hubert Qu
From: Los Angeles
Art form: Dance
Hubert, having been bullied at his previous school, found Fei Tian to be a breath of fresh air: “I’ve felt so much safer here and opened up a lot more—my personality changed a lot because everyone around me is so open and accepting.”
Those who’ve seen a Shen Yun performance have experienced the result of some of the training that the Fei Tian schools provide. They see not only the well-honed talent and skill of Fei Tian graduates and students but the loving kindness they emit.
“Every moment, from the music to the facial expressions, it’s like they’re all smiling from their hearts, not just with their faces,” remarked one audience member. Another said, “You could see on their faces this joy, this love, this fire, this passion.”
As the schools are still relatively young, there is still growing and refining to do. But they are well on their way, and millions around the world have benefitted.
Introduction video by Fei Tian College’s President Vina Lee.
