Joji Felix Velarde Ballet and Dance Workshop was founded in 1950 by Joji Felix Velarde at Philippine Women's University.
Joji started ballet as a child with Luva Adameit and continued with Remedios de Oyteza. She was a lead dancer of the De Oyteza Ballet. In 1960, as an Alicia Marcova scholar, she attended the Ballet Rambert School in London and the Ballet Arts Studio in New York. She trained with Alexandra Danilova, Vladimir Dokuodovsky, Vitale Fokine, Paul Szilard, and Karen Marie Taft in Madrid. She was the first Filipino to do the little role in Sylvia. She also danced Swan Lake and was chosen by Danilova to dance with Mocelyn Larkin, Maribel Aboitiz, and Elizabeth Guasch in Pas de Quatre.
In the 1950s, Joji ran the Ballet Arts Studio with Sony Lopez-Gonzalez. Then, she directed the Joji Felix Velarde School at PWU with Eddie Elejar and Cesar Mendoza and the dance school for the University of the East School of Music and Arts.
