Hoving, Lucas

Lucas Hoving (1912-2000) was a modern dancer, choreographer and teacher. He was born Lucas Hovinga in Holland, and studied dance with Florrie Rodrigo and Yvonne Georgi in Amsterdam before earning a scholarship to the Jooss School in England. While in New York on a 1941 tour he studied at the Martha Graham School. When the Jooss Company disbanded due to World War II, Hoving was invited to join the Martha Graham Company. He appeared in Graham's tribute to Emily Dickinson, Letter to the World in late 1941.

Hoving left the Martha Graham Company in 1942 to join the Dutch Armed Forces in exile. He took part in the European campaign as a wireless operator and interpreter. In 1946 he returned to dance in the film London Town, choreographed by Agnes de Mille. He also danced in de Mille's Rape of Lucretia . During this time he toured in a nightclub act with wife Lavinia Nielsen, whom he met at the Jooss School and married in 1943. He and Neilson appeared together in several Broadway productions as well as in works by the José Limón Company throughout the 1950s. Hoving performed opposite Limón in several of the company's works, including The Moor's Pavane (1949), The Traitor (1954), and Emperor Jones (1956).

In 1961 Hoving started his own dance company that toured throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. During this time he choreographed for companies including Bat-Dor of Israel, Grand Ballet Canadiennes of Canada, Ballet Nacional of Mexico, and the Alvin Ailey Company. In 1971 Hoving was invited by the Dutch government to return to Holland and take the job of Director of the Rotterdam Dansacademie. He later became the Supervisor of Dance Education for the Dutch government.

In the 1970s Hoving traveled around the world teaching and conducting workshops at various institutions including the Juilliard Dance Division, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and the American Dance Festival. In 1981 Hoving moved to San Francisco, California, where he formed the Lucas Hoving Performance Group. He returned to the stage in 1984 with the creation of an autobiographical monologue called Growing up in Public . Hoving died in San Francisco in 2000.

From the guide to the Lucas Hoving papers, 1900-1999, 1950-1989, (The New York Public Library. Jerome Robbins Dance Division.)