Amid the modern, austere buildings of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, something peculiar and esoteric is taking place at the Stock Pavilion.
On the front steps, two women dance in tandem to the sounds of the Middle East, their chain belts emphasizing the sinuous gyrations of their hips.
Through the open doors of the pavilion, a flash of metal beams into the evening air, followed by the sound of muted blows. Men and women clad in glittering armor rush at each other, rattan weapons at the ready.