As she whisks across the stage toward her partner, she trails along a bunched part of her red, flowing skirt. Meeting him halfway, she glares into his eyes as they spin across the floor. The sounds of melodic voices and the strum of a guitar help them maintain their beat.

Larissa and her dancing partner are far from worn. Though beads of sweat stream down their faces and their cheeks turn rosy pink, they continue dancing until the music can no longer be heard.

This is the typical Sunday afternoon for Larissa Rodriguez, a graduate student in business administration, as she practices her choreography for the Peruvian-American Association Dance Team of North Carolina.

“Our objective is to showcase the Peruvian culture through dance,” Rodriguez said. “Peru has many beautiful things: world renowned cuisine, amazing music, the Andes Mountains, Machu Picchu and all sorts of things.”

As president of the dance team, Rodriguez said the team has learned various dances which come from different areas of Peru.

“Peru has very diverse cultures,” Rodriguez said. “There are three different regions; the coast, the highlands and Andes Mountains and the Amazon jungle. We try to do dances that represent the different regions.”

According to Rodriguez, the Marinera Nortena is a dance that originated from the coast and is an “homage to a naval hero.” She said the girls wear long dresses with layers and it is a narrative dance between a man and a woman depicting courtship, but the couple never touches.

Johanan Vargas, a junior in microbiology, joined the dance team in May of 2006 and said her favorite dance is Festejo.

“It’s Afro-Peruvian and a lot more upbeat and has more hip movements, and I think when it comes to rhythm, Festejo is the fastest,” Vargas said. “Girls wear a top shirt off the shoulder that is red and frilly, and you have a white skirt with a red skirt on top, which you pick up and twirl around.”

According to Vargas, the Huaylas, which is a dance that originated in the highlands of Peru celebrating the harvest, has more elaborate costumes. Because of the low temperatures in the Andes Mountains, women’s costumes may consist of hats and embroidered cloaks.

“The Marinera Nortena is difficult for me because the foot movement is fast, but graceful,” Vargas said. “The choreography itself is easy to pick up. It’s just that the way they dance is a little bit harder and different from what I’m used to.”

Rodriguez said the team is always welcoming new members from around the Triangle who come from various backgrounds and dancing experiences.

“There is no experience required and our doors are open to everybody,” Rodriguez said. “We have some people that moved here from Peru a few years ago, we have other people who just date Peruvian people and they join the group. The only requirement is that you can make it to practice and that you want to learn, perform and have fun,” she said.

Vargas said her experience with the dance team has linked her with her Peruvian heritage since both of her parents are from Peru.

“Even though I’ve been to Peru several times, I haven’t been able to be there for the traditional things,” she said. “Slowly, even through dancing, I get to find out more about where the dances are from and why they dance them. I also get to talk with my parents about stuff about Peru they’ve never shared with me before.”

Rodriguez said the team performs at many events around the Triangle. In November, the team performed at an event at the Exploris Museum in downtown Raleigh and in December the team performed at an event in Durham. The team, according to her, celebrates the Peruvian culture in other ways throughout the year, such as making authentic Peruvian dishes and hosting parties.