Meet Dana

Dana Lawton is the Artistic Director of Dana Lawton Dances (DLD), founded in 2007, in addition to being a tenured faculty member at Saint Mary's College in the Performing Arts Department, a faculty member at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center and Co-Director of the Enchanted Ridge Dance Retreat.

A founding member of the Bay Area's acclaimed dance company, Janice Garrett & Dancers, (now Garrett+Moulton), Dana has had the honor of performing works by Joe Goode, Randee Paufve, Nina Haft, and Cathy Davalos. Lawton was awarded Outstanding Performer in the 2000 Vision Series, for her own solo choreographic performance, and nominated for an Isadora Duncan Award (Izzy) for her performance in Garrett’s Wayfarers in 2002.

DLD was Artist in Residence at the Flight Deck (Oakland) in 2014-15 and is a permanent Company in Residence at Shawl-Anderson. Lawton holds an MFA in Choreography from Mills College and a BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts.

Lawton is a tenured Professor of Dance at Saint Mary’s College and serves the Bay Area dance community with open classes for adult beginners through advanced dancers at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. DLD Company members also teach throughout the Bay Area and offer Master Classes when on tour. 

Dana is a founding member of Janice Garrett & Dancers and was awarded Outstanding Performer in the 2000 Vision Series, for her solo choreographic performance, and nominated for an Izzy Award for her performance in Garrett’s Wayfarers in 2002.​ Lawton holds an MFA in Choreography from Mills College and a BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts.