SLIPPERY ROCK — Liturgical dance is another form of worship for Belle Hughes.

“I dance when I worship, so it was a nice way to show people there is another way to worship,” said Belle, 17, a Grove City Area High School junior. “It's a good way to come and let it all out and another way to talk to God and praise him.”

Belle is one of eight dancers in the Liturgical Company at Crossroads Dance Academy 96 N. Gait Drive, Slippery Rock, which is a type of praise dance.

She joined the company six years ago when she was a sixth-grader.

“I decided to join it because I like dancing, and it was a thing I never heard of,” Belle said about the liturgical form, adding she has danced with the Crossroads Dance Academy since 2009.

The company is a close-knit family, she said.

“They accept anyone and everyone,” she said. “It's a nice place to talk about things and dance together, come together.”

Liturgical dance and praise dance are about self expression, said Sarah DiFrischia, owner of Crossroads Dance Academy.

One of the first items on the agenda for DiFrischia when she first opened the studio in 2009 was to create a liturgical company.

“I always liked dancing praise and worship dancing,” DiFrischia said. “That's the way I worship through dance.”

Her studio became the stage set for her worship.

“I wanted them to actually dance instead of doing arm movements,” she said about the company. “I wanted them to be able to really express themselves, so I wanted to teach them movement, technique.”

Instead of a Christian studio, DiFrischia runs her business based on her morals and high regard for innocence, which is part of its mission statement to create a safe and clean atmosphere in the dance studio, the waiting room and at performances. They use appropriate attire and costumes and strictly monitor all the music that is used in practice and performance for clean lyrics and messages.

The liturgical company is an expression of her relationship with God, DiFrischia said.

“I get to have these kids in a class, who if I could create feelings out of my relationship with God, it would be what the liturgical kids are moving,” she said.

Liturgical does not fit into a mold of a specific genre, said Lydia Anthony, office manager and full-time instructor.

Anthony choreographs Christmas type dances that features classic liturgical dance with flowy skirts. The most recent performance was to the song called “In the First Light.”

“I choreograph around my students' hearts and how they move through what they are inside,” Anthony said about how that is reflected outward in the body.

As a teacher, Anthony is authentic with her dancers and shows them the genuine side of how people can struggle, yet celebrate the great days with each other, she said.

God and faith are constant, Anthony said.

“I try to put that in the liturgical company in the moves,” she said. “You're going to have situations in your life that you are going to have handed to you that you can't control. You can't control the environment you might be raised in, you can't control the world around you at school, but you can control how you respond and react and ultimately you control the relationship you have with God.”

The group that ranges from ages 8 to 18 performs 8 to 10 times a year on stages ranging from cement, carpet and wood, said DiFrischia, who choreographs Easter performances that involve modern movement and an array of outfits.

Older dancers are mentors and role models for their younger counterparts, she said.

Despite the age gap between the dancers, they support one another, Anthony said. Almost all of the dancers are teacher assistants for other classes.

“My favorite part is seeing the girls grow not only grow in dance knowledge and education, but grow as an individual and grow in their faith walk and in their own personality and uniqueness and really come around each other and encourage each other,” she said.

Class sessions also lead to conversations about big thinking including life and its meaning when the dancers stop to talk about what each other is experiencing, DiFrischia said.

One performance that stands out to DiFrischia was a sign language dance that started with the dancers signing, then moved into signing using dance moves with the whole body and finally back to hand signing.

Another standout performance was from this past year when DiFrischia choreographed a routine about the life of Jesus to silence. When she combined audio and visual elements with the choreography, it fit perfectly, she said.

Dancers showcase their souls during performances, DiFrischia said.

“That's what moves people the most,” she said. “They see their heart.”

Sometimes, the audience does not clap after the dance because they reflect on the worship, DiFrischia said.

“It's more than dance,” she said.

For more information about the Liturgical Company, call Crossroads Dance Academy at 724-264-4799.

WHAT: Basic Ballroom, learn partner dance skills on the Valentine’s Day holidayWHEN: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 14WHERE: Crossroads Dance Academy, 96 N. Gait Drive, Slippery RockREGISTRATION: Register online through the day of the class at crossroads-dance.comNOTE: A partner is recommended, but not necessary.