Lawrence Goldhuber, Biography

Goldhuber has been an active presence in the world of modern dance for 40 years, beginning with his Bessie Award winning decade in the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. He moves between being a performer, working as a choreographer, a teacher and as a director, enjoying all disciplines equally.

Early Life and Training

Born in New York City, Lawrence Goldhuber began his artistic life as an actor, training at Boston University before transitioning into the world of modern dance. His early background in theater would later shape the expressive, theatrical quality that became central to his work across performance, choreography, and direction.

Breakthrough Years with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (1985–1995)

Goldhuber’s major entry into the dance world came in 1985, when he joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Over the next decade, he toured globally and created memorable roles in seminal works such as Still/Here, D-man in the Waters, and Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land. His contributions to the company led to a 1995 New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Award for sustained achievement as an influential presence in modern dance.

His collaborations with Jones extended beyond the company stage to major operatic productions, including Sir Michael Tippett’s New Year for the Houston Grand Opera and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera (also filmed for the BBC), Lost in the Stars for the Boston Lyric Opera, and Mother of Three Sons at the Houston Grand Opera. His work from this era was also featured on Alive TV’s filming of Still/Here and PBS’s Great Performances documentary Dancing to The Promised Land.

Expanding Horizons and International Collaborations (Late 1990s–2011)

Following his decade with Jones/Zane, Goldhuber moved into a wide range of international and interdisciplinary collaborations. He co-created and performed in The Cost of Living with DV8 Physical Theatre, premiering at the Olympic Arts Festival in Sydney and later touring to London and Hong Kong. He joined Jan Fabre/Troubleyn for the creation and extensive 26-city European tour of Prometheus Landscape II in 2011.

During this period, he also appeared with Meredith Monk in Ascension Variations at the Guggenheim, acted in Valeria Vasilevski’s play SWELL(ing) Relatives at La MaMa ETC, and performed in Jerome Bel’s The Show Must Go On at MoMA. His theater-meets-dance work included Fred Ho’s Journey Beyond the West at BAM’s Next Wave Festival, the title role in Golem for the Henson International Puppet Festival, and appearances with Ruby Shang Company in both Invisible Languages at London’s ICA and Tales of Exile at Lincoln Center. Alongside these, he performed frequently with Keely Garfield in both New York and London, and collaborated with artists including Sherry Vine (at Wigstock), Wallie Wolfgruber, Janet Lilly, and many others.

Choreographic Voice and Major Works (2000s)

As a choreographer, Goldhuber developed an eclectic and distinct body of work. His productions included Julius Caesar Superstar (starring Robert LaFosse) at Danspace Project, the LMCC-commissioned Whose Broad Stripes presented on the steps of Federal Hall National Memorial, and The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony, commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow.

In May 2007, Dance Theater Workshop (now NYLA) presented a full season of his repertory, which included the premiere of HOODY, an urban reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. He also created works for SUNY Brockport, the University of Texas–Dallas, STEPS in New York City, and later twice for Manhattanville College.

Goldhuber’s directorial work from this period included multimedia collaborations such as Sleeping Giant (2008), based on Daniel Duford’s story with live music by Tin Hat, which premiered following a residency at MASS MoCA before moving to the Abrons Arts Center in New York. His work TRELLIS premiered at the Abrons in 2010.

Goldhuber & Latsky and International Touring

At the same time, Goldhuber co-founded the company Goldhuber & Latsky with partner Heidi Latsky. Their work toured internationally—including a nine-city Swiss tour—and received numerous commissions from institutions such as the American Dance Festival (where they received the 1997 Primus/Tamaris Fellowship in Choreography), The Joyce Theater, The Whitney Museum at Philip Morris, PS 122, the Cannes International Festival de Danse, Teatro Libero Palermo, and Celebrate Brooklyn. In later years, he continued to collaborate with Heidi Latsky Dance at Montclair State University, Lincoln Center, NYU (2015), Miami Light (2022), and in several filmed dance projects.

Multimedia Projects and Site-Specific Works (2010s)

In 2014, Goldhuber directed and performed in Body-ody-ody, a collaboration with visual artist Marilene Oliver that reached thousands of schoolchildren during its presentation at MASS MoCA. The work was later performed at the Snug Harbor Music Hall in Staten Island in 2015.

His 2016 production SMITE, conceived as a multi-site, Bible-inspired performance across the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens, was ultimately staged indoors due to rain, but retained its ambitious, large-scale structure.

Pandemic-Era Work and Recent Projects (2020–Present)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Goldhuber remained active through several video-based collaborations with the Jones/Zane Company, Heidi Latsky Dance, Harofei, and the Sean Curran Company. Prior to the shutdown, he had begun work again with Bill T. Jones on Deep Blue Sea, which premiered at the Park Avenue Armory in October 2021. He also appears prominently in the Peabody Award–winning documentary Can You Bring It?, chronicling the creation and legacy of D-man in the Waters.

Cabaret, Film, and Downtown Performance

Goldhuber’s theatrical roots continued to surface throughout his career. He performed his cabaret act A Dangerous Habit at Upstairs at Greene Street and appeared in numerous films, commercials, and plays.

He was a regular featured performer at the legendary downtown club Jackie 60 and served for a decade on the Artist Advisory Committee of Performance Space 122. His solo shows When the World Smells Like Bacon (2001) and The Life and Times of Barry Goldhubris (2004) both premiered at PS 122, the latter enjoying a three-week run.

Recognition and Support

Over the course of his career, Goldhuber has received significant institutional support, including a 2002 NYFA Fellowship in Choreography and funding from the Jerome, Harkness, Mayer, Bossak/Heilbron, and Joyce Theater Foundations; the Manhattan Community Arts Fund; and the American Music Center. His work has been commissioned by The Joyce Theater Foundation, PICA, Dance Theater Workshop, LMCC, Danspace Project, Performance Space 122, MASS MoCA, Jacob’s Pillow, and others. He was artist-in-residence at Joyce Soho in 2005 and at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center during the 2007–08 season.

— Title page image by Lesley Dill.