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Marion Kant

Marion Kant is a musicologist and dance historian (Ph.D., Humboldt University: Romantic Ballet: an Inquiry into Gender). From the age of 14 she danced with the Komische Oper under the choreographer Jean Weidt. There she also worked as a dramaturge. She has taught at the Regieinstitut Berlin, Hochschule fuer Musik/ Theater Leipzig, the University of Surrey in Guildford, Cambridge University, King's College London, and now at the University of Pennsylvania. She has written extensively on romantic ballet in the 19th century, education through dance in the 19th and 20th centuries, concepts of modern dance in the early 20th century and dance in exile. Her recent research project looks at dance ideologies from 1800 to 2000. In 2001/2002 she was a fellow at the Centre of Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. In the past years, together with musicians Marshall Taylor (saxophone) and Sam Hsu (piano) she developed a concert series remembering "entartete Musik", music banned by the Nazis in 1930s Germany. Her publications include: "Auf der großen Straße. Jean Weidts Erinnerungen (Henschelverlag: Berlin 1984.) "Tanz unterm Hakenkreuz" (Henschelverlag: Berlin 1996. 2nd ed. 1999.) - English edition: Hitler's Dancers: German Modern Dance and the Third Reich (Berghahn Books: New York/Oxford, 2003) - and Giselle, commissioned by the State Opera, Berlin (Inselverlag: Frankfurt/Main 2001)

Courses Taught

spring 2021

fall 2020

spring 2020

fall 2019

spring 2019

fall 2018

spring 2018

fall 2017

spring 2017

fall 2016

fall 2015

fall 2014

fall 2013

fall 2012

spring 2010

fall 2009

spring 2009

fall 2008

ENGL 135.302 Creative Nonfiction Writing  

spring 2008

fall 2007

spring 2007

fall 2006

spring 2006

fall 2005

ENGL 135.303 Traveling in America  

spring 2005

fall 2004

spring 2004

fall 2003

spring 2003