Cecil Slaughter is a Professor of the Practice in Dance in the Performing Arts Department at Washington University. He received his MFA from the University of Iowa. His career as a professional dancer includes fourteen years with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Mr. Slaughter was a featured artist in many of the company's works which include the "Junkie" in Eleo Pomare's Blues for the Jungle, Ulysses Dove's Urban Folk Dance, "Lil Lou" in Donald McKayle's District Storyville, and McKayle's Rainbow Round My Shoulder. During his time with DCDC, Mr. Slaughter performed extensively throughout the United States. His international tours include South Korea, Russia, France, and Germany. The company has also been featured annually at such dance festivals as Jacob's Pillow and the American Dance Festival. His theatre credits include Darker Face of the Earth, The Bow Wow Club, The Merchant of Venice, Mahalia's Song, and Applause. He has worked with several professional dance and theatre companies including Upstream Theatre, St. Louis’ Black Rep Theatre, and Mid America Dance Company. He has also choreographed several productions for Washington University’s Performing Arts Department including Spring Awakening, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Metamorphoses.