Cristyne Lawson.

THOUGH she's retiring as dean and artistic director of the School of Dance at California Institute of the Arts after nearly 26 years, Cristyne Lawson is not going gently into that good night. The educator's plans include choreographing in Brazil and traveling to South Africa. In the interim, her legacy is assured: In addition to pioneering an interdisciplinary approach to dance education where students collaborate with artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers, she instituted a curriculum emphasizing real-life experiences. Students not only study dance and choreography, but learn all aspects of production. Lawson also consulted on a number of educational programs in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Most recently, she created an exchange program between CalArts and the Beijing Academy of Dance.

"The training in Beijing is exquisite," says Lawson. "But there is very little composition in China. They're wonderful dancers, but the creative part is new for them."

Among the alumni who matriculated under Lawson's tenure are Jamie Bishton of Jamie Bishton/Dance (and a former Twyla Tharp dancer), and Diavolo Dance Theater's Jacques Heim, as well as many who ventured into dance-related fields such as lighting and costume design, and digital videography.

"I wanted everyone to be able to solve movement problems, and not necessarily be a choreographer," she says. "We teach them how to examine movement and let these kids do a little of everything."