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C. S'thembile West will present the 11th annual John Hallwas Liberal Arts Lecture on Sept. 4-5.
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S'thembile West to Present 11th Annual Hallwas Lecture Sept. 4-5

September 3, 2013

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MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University Professor of Women's Studies C. S'thembile West will present the 11th annual John Hallwas Liberal Arts Lecture on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 4-5.

The lecture, titled "Dancing Metaphors: Creative Self-Construction and Liberal Arts Education," will be presented on the Quad Cities campus on Sept. 4 at 3 p.m. in room 1022A of the 60th street campus in Moline. The lecture will then be delivered on the Macomb campus on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. in the University Union Grand Ballroom.

"Receiving recognition for my work as a scholar and teacher is an honor for which I am grateful," S'thembile West said. "I appreciate the opportunity to talk about dance, particularly the philosophical grounding of African-derived nuances and stylistic qualities. In September, I get a chance to demonstrate the fun that one can have with the humanities - arts and sciences - in real life. Life is drama, whether we choose it or not. However, the science of movement can often move one through the drama and we may create something beautiful in the process."

S'thembile West was born and raised in Harlem, NY and received her bachelor's degree from The City College of the City University of New York, her master's degree from Columbia University, Teachers College and her doctorate in African American Studies from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She was a member of numerous New York dance companies, including The Chuck Davis Dance Company, Lynn Simonson's Uncompany, Dianne McIntyre's Sounds in Motion Dance Company and Crowsfeet Dance Collective.

In addition to teaching in the New York City Board of Education and at an independent school in Harlem, S'thembile West is the founding director of dance for Cottey College in Nevada, MO. She has also served as a professor of dance at Queensborough Community College, the City University of New York and at Seaton Hall University in New Jersey. In 1994, S'thembile West taught in the departments of English and African American Studies at Temple University, and in 1999, she served as a visiting professor of dance at Florida International University.

S'thembile West created her own business in 1992, called Harmony Productions, to "facilitate understanding of American-derived cultures through presentations and facilitation of workshops and talks focused on African aesthetics, dance, music, visual arts and literature. She has been a professor at Western since 2000.

S'thembile West has served as a Hays-Fulbright Scholar to the southern Africa region in 1991: Zimbabwe, Botswana and Malawi. She has also written about dance, theatre and literature in numerous newspapers and magazines since 1978 and has numerous articles in academic journals.

The annual liberal arts lecture at Western is named for English professor and historian John Hallwas, who delivered the inaugural address in 2003. The lecture is managed by the WIU College of Arts and Sciences and serves to promote education in the liberal arts at Western.

Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
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