GTU Voices - Foundations for the Future: Carla De Sola Eaton

Carla De Sola, author of Dancing with the Divine: A Flow of Grace (Omega Kairos Books, 2021) is a sacred dance and choreography pioneer who has redefined movement as a form of prayer. In 1974, Carla founded Omega Liturgical Dance Company in New York City with the help of her husband, Arthur Eaton, bringing together highly trained dancers to explore embodied spirituality in worship. In 1990, Carla moved to Berkeley to join the faculty at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) a member school of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), where she integrated sacred dance into theological education with support from Professor Doug Adams. She later founded Omega West Dance Company in the Bay Area, developing new repertoires while continuing to advise the Omega Liturgical Dance Company in New York. She received her Master of Arts degree in Theology and the Arts from PSR in 1993. In a recent conversation, she reflected on the integration of dance and theology, the transformative power of embodied spirituality, and supporting the GTU’s legacy as a center of theological study. This article is based on that conversation.  

Carla De Sola Eaton—known in the sacred dance world simply as Carla De Sola—was born and raised in New York City, where her love for dance took root. 

"I've always thought of dancing [for] as long as I can remember. I dreamed of dance as a little child. But I didn't have any formal training until I was in my late teens. It’s a miracle that I got into Juilliard.” She believes that the innovative choreography she performed during her audition may have helped her gain admission to the prestigious school. 

Raised in a fiercely atheist Sephardic Jewish family, Carla had no religious background. Nevertheless, she often heard people talking about God and became curious about the role of religion in people’s lives, including those of her peers and professors at Juilliard. 

At Juilliard, Carla trained with Mexican American dancer José Limón, whose work influenced both her dance and spiritual journeys: “He choreographed this beautiful dance called Missa Brevis. I think it was the first time the Mass had ever been danced. He had an indirect influence on me because I admired him so much.”  

Simultaneously, Carla’s twin sister, Ronda De Sola (Chervin), sought more knowledge about God, especially during her time as a philosophy student at Fordham University. Feeling despair over life’s meaning, she connected with Jesuit priest Father James M. Somerville and the philosopher Beatrice Bruteau. Ronda later introduced them to Carla, and Father Somerville invited the dancer and her mother to a silent retreat in the countryside. Carla recounts a spiritual experience there: “...in the silence the breeze was blowing, [and] it seemed I was hearing the leaves talking to each other. And I thought, ‘There's another dimension to life.’” At that point, she felt called to search more deeply into Catholicism. Later that year, she had the opportunity to visit Assisi, where she prayed to St. Francis. 

Her eventual baptism took place in a small church in the Bronx with Father Somerville and Bruteau, who became her godmother. She recounts a simple ceremony lacking a grand program or elaborate ritual. After the baptism, Carla returned home to contemplate the experience: “I lived by Riverside Drive [in Manhattan] and was just staring out the window and looking at the Hudson. It was so beautiful and confirming." 

As Carla’s career evolved, she framed it as a transition from secular to sacred dance, though she now sees the distinction differently. In the beginning, she saw sacred dance as something performed in religious spaces—churches, temples, liturgical settings—or consciously choreographed as a form of prayer. But over time, new questions arose in her mind: “What makes a dance sacred? It’s not just the form or the venue. It’s about the intention behind it.” While volunteering with the Catholic Worker movement in New York, Carla was invited by its founder, Dorothy Day, to dance at peace gatherings—a memory she remembers vividly. “Dancing for peace continues to inspire me,” she says. 

One of her most profound experiences took place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, where she says, "For 25 years, we had a dance studio in the cathedral's crypt, thanks to the generosity of Dean James P. Morton." She became part of a vibrant artistic community. Each year, she performed in the Missa Gaia/Earth Mass, a work that blended Paul Winter’s liturgical music with the sounds of nature.  

One of Carla’s most memorable moments from the Earth Mass was the grand procession. People brought their pets to the cathedral, but the real spectacle was the parade of animals. The smallest creatures marched down the aisle first, then goats, llamas, and eventually giraffes. “But the climax was when the cathedral doors opened, and a massive elephant filled the entire entrance, blocking out any sunlight. It was breathtaking. The dancers used large flags to hold back the congregation from touching the elephant.” 

Her journey to Berkeley was shaped by Doug Adams, a professor at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR), whose name graces the art gallery at the GTU. Carla met Professor Adams through the Sacred Dance Guild. Impressed by her work, Professor Adams assured her that if she decided to move to Berkeley, he would help create a path for her to teach dance in the theology schools. “That was unheard of at the time,” Carla recalls. “Dance wasn’t considered an academic or theological discipline." When her husband, Berkeley native Arthur Eaton, retired in 1990, the couple made the move to his childhood city. Professor Adams kept his promise, helping her secure teaching opportunities at PSR. 

"Doug became a mentor and close friend. He even reshaped my first book, The Spirit Moves, and invited me to contribute a chapter in his book, Dance as Religious Studies. His support was invaluable. I miss him dearly."  

The GTU played a significant role in shaping Carla's vocation as a teacher and exposed her to a variety of religious schools and interfaith perspectives. At the GTU, she had the opportunity to teach dance to students from different schools within the consortium. She appreciated the Center for Women's Studies, which broadened her understanding of women's rights within the church. "I got to know different spiritualities and to respect them all," she reflects, recognizing the impact these experiences had on her spiritual journey and work.  

Carla emphasizes the importance of the GTU, stating, "The world needs the GTU as a witness to religions learning from each other, accepting each other." She credits much of her success to the collaboration and inspiration she received from Professor Adams, acknowledging that none of her work would have been possible without his guidance. She is also profoundly grateful for her husband’s constant support.  

Through her work, Carla De Sola has transformed the way dance is understood in spiritual practice. "We're not just a spirit...we're not just a mind or body. And dance can bring this richness together as we express ourselves,” she reflects. Movement, she believes, is integral to worship—a sacred expression of the whole self: mind, body, and spirit. As she puts it, “Let us dance!”