Judith Gani

Executive Director

Judith Gani was three years old when her dance studies began. She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Fine Arts from Texas Christian University (TCU) where she majored in Dance and Theatre. She continued her studies in the Ph.D. program in Dance at New York University and in the field of Bioenergetics with Dr. John Pierrakos at the Institute for the New Age of Man in New York City.

She performed with the Fort Worth Civic Ballet Association, the Fort Worth Civic Opera Association, the Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre, the British Restoration Arts Theatre, and the San Antonio Civic Opera. She performed liturgical dance in Fort Worth and Dallas churches. While in New York, she performed with the Contemporary Choreographers ensemble, the Dance Company of the Center for the Living Force, and the children’s theatre company Theatre in a Trunk. In McAllen, Texas, she performed with South Texas Dance Theatre and with the Rio Grand Valley Orchestra and Chorus.

Ms. Gani has choreographed musicals, plays, operas, ballet and modern pieces for companies in Fort Worth, New York, McAllen, and San Antonio.

She served as a piano accompanist for the ballet division at TCU, as the Musical Assistant for the Fort Worth Civic Ballet Association, as the co-director of South Texas Dance Theatre in McAllen, as the rehearsal assistant for seven years for the Ballet West Nutcracker production in San Antonio, and for fifteen years as the associate director of San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet. She was a founding director of the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas. She is a member of the National Society for Arts and Letters and an honorary member of the Tuesday Musical Club.

Ms. Gani has taught dance and theatre in studios, private schools and universities in Fort Worth, New York, McAllen, and San Antonio. She now owns Ballet Arts School.

Julie Morton-Simpson

Artistic Director

Ms. Morton-Simpson began her ballet training at eight years of age with Ruth Matlock. She continued her studies with Vladimir Marek and has also studied with Robert Joffrey and the American Ballet Theatre in New York. Ms. Morton-Simpson joined the San Antonio Ballet at age 14, where she performed such roles as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. She has performed with the Festival Ballet of San Antonio and the Kansas City Ballet for two years. She has performed with SW Jazz Ballet of Houston and with Houston's Theatre Under the Stars. Ms. Morton-Simpson joined Texas Ballet Concerto in 1988 where she danced various roles in Nutcracker and Coppelia. She taught at Mayra Worthen Ballet School and was Texas Ballet Concerto's Ballet Mistress.

Ms. Morton-Simpson is currently the Artistic Director for Alamo Arts Ballet Theatre and serves on the faculty of Ballet Arts School.