Lucia Chase

Lucia Hosmer Chase was born on March 24, 1897, in Waterbury, Connecticut. Her parents were Elizabeth Hosmer (Kellogg) and Irving Hall Chase. She attended St. Margaret's School and subsequently enrolled at Bryn Mawr College. Initially pursuing an interest in theater, she studied drama at the Theater Guild School in New York City, where she also took ballet lessons.

Chase's early career was centered around theater, but she later committed herself to dance. She received formal ballet training from notable instructors, including Mikhail Mordkin, Michel Fokine, Antony Tudor, and Bronislava Nijinska. Between 1937 and 1939, she performed with the Mordkin Ballet, where she danced leading roles such as Aurora in "The Sleeping Beauty" and Giselle in the eponymous ballet.

In 1940, along with Richard Pleasant, she co-founded Ballet Theatre, which later became known as the American Ballet Theatre. Chase served as the principal dancer and was also a significant financial supporter of the company. While her stage performances focused on dramatic and comedic roles, she contributed to the company’s productions by creating roles such as the Eldest Sister in Tudor's "Pillar of Fire" (1942) and the Greedy One in Agnes de Mille's "Three Virgins and a Devil" (1941).

In 1945, Chase and Oliver Smith took joint leadership of the American Ballet Theatre, overseeing its development for several decades. She retired from performing in 1960 and continued as company director until her retirement in 1980. Upon her retirement, Mikhail Baryshnikov succeeded her as director. Throughout her leadership, she dedicated considerable personal resources and effort toward ensuring the company's stability and growth, reducing the influence of external financial pressures.

Chase played a pivotal role in bringing influential choreographers to the American Ballet Theatre, including Tudor and Baryshnikov. She also supported the work of American choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Glen Tetley, and Twyla Tharp. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980.

Lucia Chase was married to Thomas Ewing, with whom she had two sons. She passed away in New York City on January 9, 1986. In 1988, she was posthumously inducted into the National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame.

In 2009, her son Alex C. Ewing published a biography titled "Bravura!: Lucia Chase and the American Ballet Theatre," detailing her life and legacy.