California State University, Los Angeles dance faculty member Don Hewitt, a Thousand Oaks resident, was recently presented a Lester Horton Lifetime Achievement in Dance Award 2000 by the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles. The tenth anniversary celebration of the Lester Horton Dance Awards, honoring excellence in Los Angeles-based concert dance for the years 1999 and 2000, was held at El Portal Center for the Arts in North Hollywood.

In honor of a decade of Horton Awards, this year's special ceremony included video presentations of dance throughout the community and still and video memories of Lester Horton and his choreography.

Don Hewitt has been a faculty member in Cal State L.A.'s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance since 1986. His area of specialization is in classical ballet. Hewitt's teaching experience spans more than 35 years in this country and Canada. He has danced with the National Ballet of Canada and has conducted dance workshops in conjunction with members of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Lar Lubovitch and Elliot Feld Ballet.

Additionally, Hewitt has been the co-chair of the Artistic Committee for the Los Angeles Area Dance Alliance and is principal ballet master at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, based on the Cal State L.A. campus. He is the recipient of five previous Lester Horton Awards.

One of Hewitt's significant contributions to the field of dance is the successful revival and direction of L.A.'s premier dance festival, Dance Kaleidoscope. Hailed by dance critics and dancers since 1988, the Dance Kaleidoscope has successfully attracted a growing audience for dance and has been expanded to include several venues throughout Los Angeles County.

The Horton Awards honors Lester Horton (1906-1953), long recognized as one of the creative pioneers of modern dance and renowned for his innovative modern dance choreography. Horton, who established Idyllwild Summer Dance Camp, had an active company in Los Angeles. The Horton Award has been established by Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles, the major service organization in Southern California for professional dancers.