Meet Dana Lawton

Dana Lawton wears multiple hats as the Artistic Director of Dana Lawton Dances (DLD), a position she has held since its establishment in 2007. Alongside her role at DLD, she serves as a tenured faculty member in the Performing Arts Department at Saint Mary's College and teaches at the renowned Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. Additionally, she co-directs the Enchanted Ridge Dance Retreat.

As a founding member of Janice Garrett & Dancers, (now Garrett+Moulton), Dana has graced the stage in performances featuring works by acclaimed choreographers such as Joe Goode, Randee Paufve, Nina Haft, and Cathy Davalos. Her outstanding contributions were recognized with the Outstanding Performer award in the 2000 Vision Series for her solo choreographic performance. She was also nominated for an Isadora Duncan Award (Izzy) for her captivating performance in Garrett’s Wayfarers in 2002.

Dana's choreographic work has left an indelible mark on the dance scene. Her academic journey includes earning an MFA in Choreography from Mills College and a BFA in Dance from the California Institute of the Arts.

In her commitment to dance education, Dana shares her expertise as a tenured Professor of Dance at Saint Mary’s College and offers open classes catering to adult beginners through advanced dancers at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center as well as weekly yoga classes at Left Coast Power Yoga in Oakland.