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• JUDITH CLEMENT GANI
Judith Gani was three years old when her dance studies began.
She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Fine Arts from Texas
Christian University 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 while at T.C.U. in the Ballet and Theatre Arts Division,
with the Fort Worth Civic Ballet Association, the Fort Worth Civic
Opera Association, and was guest artist with the Wichita Falls
Ballet Theatre, the British Restoration Arts Theatre for a tour
of Northern England and Scotland, and the San Antonio Civic Opera.
She performed liturgical dance for several years in Fort Worth
and Dallas churches. While in New York, she performed in New York
University Dance Concerts, 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 the T.C.U. Ballet, Theatre, and Music Departments,
the Fort Worth Community Theatre and Fort Worth Civic Ballet Association;
for the New York University Dance Department, Contemporary Choreographers
Ensemble and the Living Force Dance Theatre in New York City; for
the Rio Grande Valley Orchestra and Chorus, the Valley International
Players, and South Texas Dance Theatre in McAllen, Texas.
She served as a piano accompanist for the ballet division at T.C.U.,
as the technical assistant for the choreographer's conference,
held at T.C.U. in conjunction with the Southwest Regional Ballet
Association, 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
was a founding co-director of the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas. She is currently executive director of Alamo Arts Ballet Theatre.
Ms. Gani has taught dance since she was in high school, starting
as a teaching assistant at her hometown studio. She taught at summer
camps, for the YMCA, and for the high school Drama workshop while
at T.C.U. In New York, she taught children's and adult's classes
in modern dance, ballet, and exercise for private studios, the
Institute for the New Age, and the Center for the Living Force.
In McAllen, she taught for private studios and for Pan American
University. In San Antonio, she taught for several private studios
and the Jewish Community Center, St. Mary's Hall and San Antonio
College before taking ownership of Ballet Arts School.
She counts among her numerous teachers, Fernando Schaffenburg,
Nancy Benson Schaffenberg, Victor Moreno, Jerry Bywaters Cochran,
Maggie Moar Sapp, Harriet Ann Grey, Patricia Wattley, Marina Svetlova,
Lillo Way, Libby Nye, Laura Briton, Wilson Morelli, Mary Anthony,
Nancy Bielski, and David Howard. Notable among master classes are
those with Ben Stevenson, Charles Weidman, Yuriko, Alvin Nikolai,
Robert Barnett, Alexandra Danilova, Patricia Haler, Valentina Pereyslavic,
Arthur Mitchell, and Patricia Wilde.
Now at Ballet Arts School, Ms. Gani strives to provide students
with correct technical training in dance, while nurturing the overall
development of each student into a well-rounded individual. She
believes that training in dance contributes greatly to self-discipline,
sense of self worth, physical and emotional self-knowledge and
expression, a sense of beauty and aesthetics, and an appreciation
for the art forms of dance, theatre, and music.
She takes great joy and pride in seeing her students move from
Kinderballet through the levels to become beautiful dancers and
beautiful people. Ballet Arts School has become not only her business,
her career, and her art, but the focus of her life's work.
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