Carla Prescott
At an early age, Carla Prescott developed a passion for pursuing excellence in the arts as a way to glorify God. Growing up, youth theater was a highlight of her activities and being able to do community theater with her sisters and her father is an experience she will never forget. As she ended high school, she recognized a love for choreography and spent a summer choreographing for the same youth theater.
Pursuing dance performance, in addition to choreography, Carla chose to study Dance Education at Hope College. She completed her student teaching at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and graduated with awards in both Dance Pedagogy and Choreography. While at Hope she studied under incredible teachers such as Steven Iannacone (Nikolais Dance Theater), Maxine DeBruyn (Martha Graham), and Linda Graham (Dayton Contemporary Dance Company). Carla danced with Hope College’s company, Strike Time, that went into the public schools teaching about the art of dance. She also performed with and was the artistic director of the company Sacred that was a ministry to area churches.
After completing her degree, she spent three years performing with the company Ad Deum in Houston, TX. This opportunity gave her the chance to perform and learn from teachers and choreographers from all over the country including Randall Flinn (Ad Deum), Stephen Rooks (Graham Company), Hope Bokin (Alvin Ailey Company), and Caleb Mitchell (Houston Ballet). During that time, she also helped direct and choreograph for Ad Duem’s second company. Her choreography was selected to open Project Dance in Time Square in 2005. During this time, she taught dance in Houston at studios and city schools where she partnered with the programs 21st Century and Young Audiences.
After meeting her husband Andy, they moved to Calgary, Canada. In Calgary, she performed with Corps Bara Dance Company and studied ballet at the Alberta Ballet School of Dance. Upon returning to the United States, three years and two kids later, she moved to The Woodlands, teaching for several local dance studios and both choreographing and directing the Ballet Excelsior Trainees for one year. Now as a mother of four daughters, homeschooling and teaching her girls performing arts, she is thrilled to use her experience and love of dance to serve the NYT community.