Before she stepped on campus to start her freshman year, Weinberg senior Jelidiah Gyamfi was already thinking about creating a praise dance team at Northwestern. The idea emerged during her senior year of high school after she realized no such group existed at NU. Having performed praise dance since middle school, she wanted to continue in college.
“I kind of felt like there was a void to me, at least, because I knew how encouraging it was for me to do during school,” Gyamfi said. “I knew how much it really helps in terms of confidence and in terms of like, for me, it really connects with my faith.”
Gyamfi said she started working on creating the club during her freshman year, but it was not until Winter Quarter of her sophomore year that she started the process of officially making a club.
The Army Praise Dance Ministry currently has about six to eight members, Gyamfi said. Praise dance can encompass many different styles of dance, such as contemporary and ballet and is performed to Christian songs, scriptures and hymns, Gyamfi said.
Some of the group’s pieces have been more conceptual, featuring storytelling elements. One of these elements was changing from a black dress to a white dress to symbolize renewal, said the dance troupe’s treasurer, Weinberg sophomore Ivani Phillips.
Phillips joined The Army Praise Dance Ministry during last Fall Quarter. Phillips said that the group is not only a good way to decompress and stay active, but it is also a way to find people with similar values.
“I love meditating on the songs and the meaning behind the performance,” Phillips said. “I don’t view it as just an avenue for me to truly be creative and use my body as an instrument, but also as a space to truly exude my values and what I stand for in a public space.”
Last year, The Army Praise Dance Ministry performed twice, Gyamfi said. One was at Alice Millar Chapel for a Black History Month celebration, and the other was at the Northwestern Community Ensemble’s spring concert.
Gyamfi said the group has changed its internal structure this school year. There will now be a performance team that will do both video and live performances, she said.
These members will also have a higher level of commitment compared to general members, who will not be in the performances, but can come to practices to learn and shadow performers, Gyamfi added.
Gyamfi said the changes in structure will allow people more flexibility in terms of commitment to the group. She hopes the group will one day be self-sufficient and put on its own independent show, including singers and lights, she said.
Communication sophomore Ajayla Self joined The Army Praise Dance Ministry last school year. Although she started with limited experience, she believed it would be a great way to be a part of a ministry, while combining it with her love of performing arts.
Self said she hopes The Army Praise Dance Ministry’s work makes an impact on people.
“I think there’s really something special about using your skills, your body, performance, to really share a message,” Self said. “For us, that message is about God and Christianity, but I feel like it can still touch and reach anyone, because it’s very powerful.”
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