In a large and very hot dance studio in a converted warehouse in Oakland, Tecsia Evans talks through a microphone to about 30 women and girls. “God made you masterpieces,” Evans says as fans whir.

Six women, dressed in flowing white skirts and purple tunics, move gently to the recorded music that echoes through the Tacoma, Wash., sanctuary. Their white-gloved hands and ballet-slippered feet ...

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 ...