Michelle Barnes struck a pose with her arms stretched outwards like a bird, representing freedom in the form of a human sculpture Tuesday night.

Using this exercise, students explored abstract concepts during "A Night of Poetry: Poetry of Hispanic LGBT Poets," a program that combined ethnic poetry with performance art in the Waring Commons study lounge.

Barnes had previously done similar theater exercises that aim to undo racism and promote diversity through movement. She said they allow people to connect with poetry on a different level than spoken language does.

"You're pretty much speaking with your body," Barnes (senior-psychology) said.

Mark Gardner, graduate assistant at Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (LGBTA) Student Resource Center, helped organize the event, and he opened the presentation by walking onto the stage sporting dark sunglasses.

"All right you cool cats and hip cats -- and alley cats," Gardner said, drawing a laugh from the crowd. "Let's get the night started with a little movement."

He encouraged attendees to snap their fingers rather than applaud -- a common practice at poetry readings -- when Summer Woods took the stage to read Rafael Campo's "The Distant Moon."

After her reading, Gardner split the crowd into groups of about five to discuss the poem, and later, to create their own human sculptures exploring concepts such as "justice."

One group had its members hug each other and hold hands to represent equality in relationships, regardless of sex. Another constructed a complex sculpture that showed justice is a struggle and is often blind to people's suffering.

The event, hosted by the LGBTA Student Resource Center, celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month and concluded National Coming Out Day Week.

Allison Subasic, director of the center, attended the event and said she hoped it would educate students in a fun way.

"I think, like many events we do, its purpose is to celebrate the diversity within the LGBT community and to collaborate with other events and organizations on campus," Subasic said.

Woods is a racial and ethnic diversity outreach intern for the center, and she also emphasized the center isn't just for LGBT students.

"I feel like a lot of people stay in their comfort zone," Woods (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said.

"The center is a place where we reach out to different races and ethnic cultures to expand community."