Tim Hicks - Managing Editor

Tysa Jackson, left, Susan Ingram and Jeffrey Jenkins are three-fifths of Unique, the praise dance team at Rosemary Baptist Church in Barnwell. Praise dancing has gained footholds in several African-American churches in Barnwell County.

The group moves in unison, their flowing garments accentuating their gestures that synchronize with the hymn being played.

This is worship without words; meditation through motion. This is praise dancing.

Lay minister Donald Goode sees the praise dancers as the church equivalent of cheerleaders - helping set an upbeat tempo during a worship service.

"A good praise team can set the tone," he said.

Praise dancing provides a visible element to the mostly audible experience of church services. The challenge for the dancers is interpreting in a physical manner religious concepts and human emotions.

They are "Unique." They are the praise dance team at Rosemary Baptist Church.

Four other African-American churches in the county have dance teams: Macedonia Baptist, Sunshine Baptist, Bethelem Baptist and Jordan Baptist.

Their weekly practice sessions can last anywhere from two to four hours, said Susan Ingram, the Rosemary team's director.

During their sessions, the team sets a particular song to motion, deciding on what motions will represent what emotions that the dancers must wordlessly convey to their audience, she said.

"The song selected must minister to us before it ministers to others," Ingram said. "If we hear something on the radio and it's fitting to us, then we will go with it. The majority of the time we will go with it."

Of course, led by the Lord, she said.

"I encourage them (the team) to go home and be prayerful and let the Holy Ghost make you aware of what would work," Ingram said. "We can come in on a Monday (practice) and by that Sunday, it will have changed."

The use of flags, streamers and banners, similar to what the color guards for high school marching bands use, give movement its emotional intensity, said Ingram.

The church started its praise dance ministry in 2005 under the direction of Vandi Bradley. Ingram is now over the team. Bradley is still one of the dancers.

"In 2006, I was prayerful about doing the ministry here. I was leaning on Vandi as to what it would take to do the ministry," Ingram said.

Starting out, the team used a deaf sign language book a foundation for pantomiming and putting meaning to the movements, said Jeffrey Jenkins.

Jenkins is the only male in the five-member team.

"He's the only male. He's a valuable asset to the ministry," said Ingram of Jenkins. "It was new to him."

"For me, it was another way to worship to God -- not just with my voice, but wholeheartedly with my body. That's why I joined the dance ministry," Jenkins said.

Jenkins has been on the team for a year. Neither he nor his other teammates had previous dance experience, like tap or ballet.

With the denominational stereotype of Baptists being against dancing, was there any reluctance to beginning a dance ministry?

The decision was made with a lot of prayer with their pastor, the Rev. Michael O'Neal, Ingram said.

"I don't think it was something the church didn't want. We have full support of our pastor," she said. "People are amazed that we dance for God."

And barefoot. Most of the time the dancers perform unshod.

"There is no right or wrong way to worship God. It's in the sincerity of the person. Worship is in the sincerity of the heart," said Goode. "We come from a tribe of people that dance. It's in our culture."