Carla DeSola

Carla DeSola is a pioneer in the field of liturgical dance, a teacher, choreographer and the author of The Spirit Moves: A Handbook of Dance. She is the founder of the Omega Liturgical Dance Company at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She currently directs the Omega West Dance Company. The company is known for conducting workshops, choreographing for and performing concerts for religious services in churches, schools, retreat centers and synagogues.

DeSola graduated from Julliard School of Music, as well as the Pacific School of Religion. At the 2008 SDG Golden Anniversary Festival she was named as one of the Living Legacies.

When describing DeSola's Omega West Dance Company, Mark Dietch of The New York Times has said that, "Liturgical dance...was virtually nonexistent in this country before Miss DeSola's pioneering efforts." Modern Liturgy Magazine has said that "With an eye not only on ecumenical, but interfaith dialogue, her art embraces peace and justice. She dances on holy ground, always seeking to awaken people to the needs of planet Earth. Such a caring artistry, combined with a deep concern for liturgy, makes Carla DeSola the most influential performing artist of the last 20 years." DeSola describes her own work in her book, The Spirit Moves: A Handbook of Dance by saying that, "I pray that everyone, sitting cramped inside a pew, body lifeless, spine sagging and suffering, weary with weight and deadness, will be given space in which to breathe and move, will be wooed to worship with beauty and stillness, song and dance--dance charged with life, dance that lifts up both body and spirit, as we will be a holy, dancing, loving, praying, and praising people."

She currently resides in Berkeley, California, where she has lived since 1990.