When Taiwanese Funeral Rituals Meet Musical Theatre: A Presentation on Don’t Cry, Dancing Girls

Don’t Cry, Dancing Girls is a musical dramatizing three sisters’ experience of learning about local folk cultures, funeral rituals, and the intricate relationship between family, tradition, life, death, and spirituality in rural Taiwan. The play reimagines the Taiwanese spirit-guiding ritual “khan-bong-kua,” a funerary ritual performance with the purpose of guiding the spirit of the deceased toward the underworld. Don’t Cry, Dancing Girls premiered in Taiwan in 2023; it also had a workshop-style presentation in New York in 2025.

Hui-Cheng Tseng (the leader of the team), I-Heng Lin (the producer), and Ching-Chia Chang (lead actress) will discuss Don’t Cry, Dancing Girls with the UCI community. An-Ru Chu (PhD student, Drama) will give a brief talk on the Taiwanese spirit-guiding ritual, khan-bong-kua.

This event is co-sponsored by the Taiwan Academy of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles and the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan.


PARKING INFORMATION:

Park in Mesa Parking Structure (Mesa Rd) or Student Center Parking Structure (W Peltason Dr).

For an additional rate, you can park in nearby Lot 7 if you purchase an AR day permit.

From Mesa Structure, walk through Claire Trevor School of the Arts towards the bridge, or along the sidewalk on Mesa Rd. From Student Center, you can use the stairs behind Humanities Instructional Building.

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