By Rina Torchinsky

It sounded like chirping birds and drizzling rain filled the Stamp Student Union Sunday night, as dancers graced the stage with traditional Chinese dance at the Tianyi Dance Team’s “Woven Paths” showcase.

The Chinese dance team presented an evening of nature-inspired, traditional dance on Easter night. The performance included College Park Diabolo and TerpWushu, as well as some younger talent: Gina Ling Chinese Dance Chamber and Xuejuan Dance Ensemble.

“I feel like this is a different perspective,” said Regina Hong, Tianyi Dance’s public relations manager. “People probably know that there are dances in Chinese culture, but probably not the specific kinds of dances like Dai or Mongolian, so we’re showcasing each different type of dance.”

Hong, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, first took the stage alongside eight others for a Tibetan dance. The dancers dressed in flowing light blue skirts and twirling silver sleeves.

The emcees, senior Justin Pan and alumna Rachel Yuan, described the dance style’s simultaneous “fast and slow tempos” and “strong spirit and laid back attitude.” Hong used the Tibetan lifestyle to characterize the dance.

“It’s like high mountains, so they lean over because they are carrying things on their back but are also working,” Hong said.

Before the intermission, the stage invited a solo performance and multiple youth dancing ensembles. The final performance in the first half, “Oasis” emulates Dai girls and their relationship to water. The Tianyi trio used drops of water to enliven their performance.

The show continued with Tianyi’s “Enchanted Garden,” which emphasized the nature theme. But intense music quickly replaced the whistling birds in TerpWushu’s performance.

TerpWushu took the stage in their red zip-ups and black pants. Students threw abrupt punches, performed airy flips and wielded weapons.

“We’ve worked closely with Tianyi since it’s founding and we always make it a point to come to these demos,” said Jason Pang, TerpWushu president and senior criminal justice and government and politics major.

Tianyi dancers returned to the stage with “Swan,” which was followed by College Park Diabolo. The quintet took stage armed with Chinese yo-yos, which consist of a string with two batons and a bobbin.

Performers, including emcee Pan, performed stunts with the colorful hourglass-like bobbins. One even made its way into the audience.

“It’s really easy to make mistakes, but I think today we hit all of our tricks,” the senior computer senior and electrical engineering double major said.

For Hong, Diabolo and Wushu offer a window into Chinese culture beyond dance.

“We want to showcase more than just dance, we want to showcase other traditional stuff,” she said.