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).

...