When international students journey to Baton Rouge, a part of their culture gets squeezed inside their suitcases.Despite embracing new ideas and customs at the University, Yuan Zhang, Arinjoy Ganguly and Sophia Renke aren’t willing to give up their native hobbies as they continue to live their culture in a variety of ways.Yuan Zhang, astrophysics graduate student from Xinjiang Province, China, practiced Chinese folk dance for nine years, classical dance during her undergraduate years at Tsinghua University and has performed with the Baton Rouge Chinese Dance Group since coming to the University in 2006. “Folk dance — like Spanish, Russian dance or Flamenco — is full of energy and happiness,” Zhang said. “Chinese classical dance is so beautiful and elegant, similar to classical ballet.”Zhang performs in Chinese Spring festivals and the Baton Rouge International Heritage Festival and takes ballet, jazz and modern University dance courses to further her interest in American-style dances.”As a student, you’re so busy, so it’s very good to have time to relax and to think of nothing but dance,” she said.Ganguly, accounting junior from Kolkata, India, said setting up cricket tournaments for the last three semesters is his own way of bringing Indian culture to the University.”When you’re playing the game, if you get a lot of joy out of it, it kind of doesn’t make you think you’re away from home anymore,” Ganguly said of India’s favorite pastime — cricket.The fall cricket tournament, held in the Patrick F. Taylor parking lot, is nearing its semifinals, which will be held Oct. 18, with finals the following day. Ganguly said about 12 organized teams compete each semester. The tournament is primarily based in the Indian Student Association, in which Ganguly serves as treasurer, but all students are welcome, he said.Cricket temples exist in India solely for preaching the game and praying for the wellbeing of the players involved, Ganguly said. The temples are a type of substitute for Indians who are not religious, he said.”Out of 1.2 billion people [in India], the majority does follow cricket, and it’s definitely one of the things that’s most important in their lives,” said Ganguly, who has been playing cricket since he was 4 years old.Ganguly got involved with cricket at the University during his first week in Baton Rouge.”I was trying to cross the Parade Grounds to get to one of my classes, and I saw a few guys playing down the center strip leading down to the Memorial Tower,” he said. “They asked me to join them, and I got to know quite a few guys that I became pretty close to.”Cricket has led to exchange of cultures between Indian and American students who saw Ganguly and his friends practicing the sport in empty parking lots on campus.”We’ve cometo learn a bit about baseball, whereas they’ve come to learn about cricket,” he said.Renke, forensic anthropology graduate student from Edmonton, Canada, isn’t from Scotland, but growing up in a Scottish community exposed her to highland dancing, an art form staked in tradition and formality.Renke began dancing when she was 7 years old to the music of her father’s bagpipes. After stopping for 10 years, Renke said the idea she formed as a child of living a dancer’s life drew her back into highland dancing as an adult.With a costume needed for every dance, and one kilt costing up to 900 Canadian dollars, Renke said highland dancers must be seriously committed.”There is no creativity in highland dance,” Renke said. “It’s all tradition that has been passed down. It’s very strict, and I don’t think that’s very appealing to little girls going into dance. They want to be able to put on a tutu.”Renke said there are plenty of opportunities to compete in highland dancing competitions in Canada, but there are very few options in Louisiana.Since moving to Baton Rouge in August, Renke has traveled to Georgia and Memphis to compete and has found a dance teacher in New Orleans who introduced her to a competition to be held in Jackson, La., next month. She said she plans to drive to New Orleans once a month to practice with her teacher and will continue to practice alone every day for at least 30 minutes.”Even though it’s not big here, I’m still making it big in my own life,” she said.—-Contact Margy Looney at [email protected]