Current Omega Leadership
Martha Chapman, Co-director (2012 – present) Martha performed with and choreographed for Omega Dance Company for almost 20 years before being named a Director in 2012. Her history with the company includes choreographing and setting works for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, as well as performing and setting works in multiple venues and sacred settings in the New York metropolitan area. She also directs dance ministries with her home congregation, the Church of the Village, a progressive United Methodist Community where Omega is now an Artist-in-Residence. Through this and as a member of Omega, she is a member of the Sacred Dance Guild’s local chapter and participates in their local and national activities. Martha Chapman performed with companies such as NYC Opera Ballet, NJ Ballet, Eugene Ballet in Oregon, Ontario Ballet Theater in Toronto, and Cork City Ballet in Ireland, as well as in productions such as the Edinburgh Festival and Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors. From her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy to performing “Shakers” by American modern-dance pioneer Doris Humphrey and works by Graham and Hawkins company members, Martha's career has covered both classical and modern repertory. She is on faculty the Steps Academy children’s program at Steps on Broadway and at Peridance Center, has conducted master classes and lecture demonstrations, and has been quoted extensively in The Pointe Book, and featured in Dance Teacher Magazine.
Rebecca Reuter, Co-director (2012 – present)
Rebecca (Becky) began her ministry as a liturgical dancer at the age of nine at St. Martin of Tours Church in San Jose, California. Stepping into a leadership role at the age of 15, Becky, along with her sister Katie, oversaw St. Martin’s Movement Ministry from 1998 to 2006, and served as Director of Grace Liturgical Dance Troupe at Santa Clara University from 2002 to 2005. Upon moving to New York in 2006, Becky was blessed to encounter Omega Dance Company and discover, to her delight, that she could continue her ministry as a liturgical dancer on a professional level. As a principal dancer with the company, Becky has performed throughout the New York metropolitan area in a variety of settings, most notably for various services at her home parish, the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue and 84th Street, where her husband Robert Reuter serves as Associate Director of Music. As Co-director, Becky seeks to broaden Omega’s reach and advocate for dance as a liturgical and sacred art.
Becky trained in tap, ballet, jazz, and musical theatre for 15 years with the Fancy Dancers of Milpitas, California. She received her BA degree in Theatre Arts, Dance Emphasis from Santa Clara University, where she studied modern, ballet, and musical theatre and was involved in over 40 theater and dance productions. Beginning her professional career in the San Francisco Bay Area, Becky performed with HudsonDance and choreographer David J. Popalisky. She currently studies contemporary dance with Simonson teacher Diane McCarthy and serves as the Administrative Director of the Music Advancement Program (MAP) at The Juilliard School.
Maura Burns, Associate Director (2024 – present) Maura has been dancing with Omega Dance Company since 1995, starting with the historic televised Missa Gaia, or Earth Mass held annually at The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Her root dance training is in Graham technique; she studied with June Lewis for many years as well as at the Graham school. Maura's eclectic performance experience includes international artists and choreographers as well as local modern dance companies. She also founded her own company, 'The Firewalkers Dance Company' which delved into Native American themes and contemporary culture in various ethnic communities. This led her to partner with a famous East Indian choreographer, Sridhar Shanmugam performing at numerous venues throughout the tri-state area culminating in his groundbreaking multimedia project 'The Path to Peace' set to original music by Andrew Sterman in a concert devoted to honoring the work of Mahatma Gandhi. This event was selected by the Gandhi Foundation for their national fundraising tour for which Maura served as principal dancer and rehearsal director. Maura has organized several dance festivals in New York City with Dance On the Hudson and for July 4th and 9/11 Memorial events. She is a trained Gyrotonics, Reiki, Thai massage and acupuncture practitioner currently working with private clients and physical therapy offices in the New York area.
Vanity David, Associate Director (2020 – present)
Vanity began dancing with Omega through former Omega co-director, Sandra Rivera, who invited her to dance at the 2004 Earth Mass at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Vanity started her dance training in flamenco at Ballet Hispanico School of Dance in 1997. She received the Rebekah Harkness Dance Scholarship and became a member of Ballet Hispanico’s Student Ensemble. During her nine years at Ballet Hispanico she performed flamenco, ballet, modern, and jazz throughout NYC.
Vanity attended Barnard College and received a BA in Women's Studies and Sociology in 2010. While attending Barnard, she took dance courses such as the History of Spanish and Caribbean Dance, and a course on dance choreography. She received an MA in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from NYU in 2012. She currently teaches first grade at the Chapin School in NYC.
Katie Woehr, Associate Director-at-large (2017 – present); Co-director (2012-2017)
Katie has considered dance an integral part of her spirituality since first beginning her ministry as a liturgical dancer at St. Martin of Tours parish in San Jose, California at the age of nine. Along with her sister Becky, Katie directed the Movement Ministry at St. Martin’s from 1998 to 2006, and also offered liturgical dance at a variety of special events for the Diocese of San Jose. Katie furthered her exploration of dance as a sacred art at Santa Clara University, where she danced with the Grace Liturgical Dance Troupe, and directed Charisma!, a performing ensemble that sought to explore how art and spirituality collide in each person. She began her professional sacred dance career when she joined Omega Dance Company upon moving to New York in 2006, and has performed throughout the NYC area in a variety of settings, including her home parish of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Katie trained with the Fancy Dancers of Milpitas, California for 15 years, where she studied tap, ballet, jazz, and musical theater. She first encountered modern dance at Santa Clara University, where she earned her BA in Theater Arts, Dance Emphasis. She began her professional dance career in the San Francisco Bay Area with choreographer David J. Popalisky and HudsonDance, and currently dances with Laurie De Vito and Dancers and choreographer Diane McCarthy. When not dancing, Katie edits children’s books at Scholastic, Inc.
Arielle McKeever, Marketing Manager (2023 – present) Arielle began her dance training at the School of American Ballet in New York City. In 2010, she continued training at American Ballet Theatre’s JKO School and from 2016 trained with Leslie Browne (former principal dancer of American Ballet Theater) at The School at Steps. Over the years, Arielle has performed in many productions including at Lincoln Center with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre; as well as participated in a variety of summer intensives which include: Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, and American Ballet Theatre. Arielle went on to receive her BA in Dance Performance and BBA in Marketing from Loyola University Chicago, where she became the first student to graduate with a dance and business honors double major. At Loyola, she has had the opportunity to dance in a variety of repertoire including: Bind, Bound, Bond; Coppélia; Chapters in the Revolution; Missa Gaia; Sketches from Chronicle; Viva Vivaldi; and Water Study. She uses her voice beyond movement and was awarded the LUROP Social Justice Fellowship by the university for her independent qualitative and quantitative research on The Facilitation of Ableism in Dance Audience Members as 1 out of 100s of applicants. Upon graduating from Loyola, Arielle reconnected with Omega which she grew up watching. She became a professional dancer with the company in 2022, continuing to use dance as a form artistic and spiritual expression.
Photo by Beverly Hall
Carla De Sola, Founder & Director (1974-1989)
Carla De Sola, sacred dance pioneer and founder of Omega Liturgical Dance Company, served as Director from 1974 to 1989. She continues to serve as Director of Omega West Dance Company, offering workshops in the Bay Area and across the U.S. Carla travels east as often as she can to set repertoire on Omega Dance Company in NYC, and continues to serve as adviser to current company leadership. For a longer bio of Carla, visit the Past Leadership page.