When Maria Young was 9 years old, her grandmother made her go to church where she was introduced to praise dancing. Now, almost 20 years later, she leads approximately 30 children in this form of worship.  

Young has been the youth leader for her church, Under The Blood Full Deliverance Worship Center, about four years and describes praise dancing as praising God through dance. At Under The Blood, she leads 25 young people from age 4 to 17. Young said she also leads about six to seven more youths at Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church.

“A lot them like to dance and listen to other music,” Young said about the young people involved in praise dancing. “I ask them why not have fun dancing for God.”

“It’s not for me, it’s all for God,” she said.

She said she and her assistant, Rosie Clay, choreograph the groups’ dances from scratch, making sure to not lift elements from other group’s dances.

“For most of the moves we just try to pray about it and go from there,” Young said.

“Sometimes it does get hard, but I just see the looks on their faces and that actually motivates me,” she said about her students. “All of them have different personalities and it makes [teaching] them fun.”

The name of the group Young teaches at Under The Blood is called Joshua Generation, a name given to the group from the church’s apostle, Laverne James. Young said the name has roots in the Bible in reference to how young people are raised up.

“It’s really about standing up and withstanding the devil and pleasing God,” Young said. “I tell them you have to live a lifestyle that pleases God.”