Mr. Gary

Gary Hubler was born and raised in St Louis, but, can you believe he was not raised a dancer?! At 18 he decided to take a dance class one night a week for a few months. His teacher and role model, Mr. Michael Simms, was performing in the Muny that summer and invited Gary to attend a midnight rehearsal. After that night, at age 19, Gary decided that he simply, “wanted to do that!” He was not raised dancing in any sort of studio environment but was inspired just by that one night observing the arts. The following fall, he started dancing like crazy and joined St. Louis Ballet. He still marvels at the fact that one summer night turned into a successful 60+year career. Gary joined the Webster faculty in 1973 and served as the artistic director for Webster Dance Theatre. He went on to perform in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and at The Muny in St. Louis. He has trained with many well-known teachers including Leon Danielian, Edna McRae, Matt Mattox, and Luigi. He continues to work as a guest artist, teacher, and choreographer throughout the Midwest. After 33 years of teaching, Gary Hubler retired from Webster University in May of 2006. In honor of Gary Hubler's retirement, the 2006 Spring Concert featured many alumni who returned from across the country to take part in a celebration of Gary's career. Currently, Gary works with the advanced RJ's Ellisville ballet classes. His favorite part of working with our students is watching their determination week after week to succeed. “Sharing with the students what many people shared with me is one of my biggest professional pleasures.” Outside of studio life, Gary survives retirement with his spouse and spends a lot of time on his second biggest passion and hobby: Holiday Decor!