Shirley Halili Cruz’s inspiration to endeavor into dance education began as early as when she was 15 years old, when her ballet teacher Bonnie Weinstein Clalagopi entrusted to her the dance classes that Ms. Clalagopi was handling. She taught ballet, Polynesian and Jazz in Siena College, St. Paul College and Angelicum School, Quezon City in 1974. From then on, she has taken the career path as a ballerina and as an educator.

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The Halili-Cruz School of Ballet (HSCB) was established in 1985 to realize Shirley’s dream to share her love and passion for dance. The school was born of her conviction that in every child lies a bud of artistic sense that may blossom into a great and exquisite artistry. HCSB opened with 46 students but is now a talents galore about a thousand promising dance aspirants.

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The HCSB main studio is housed in an imposing two-storey edifice of modern architecture located at 1227 Quezon Avenue,Quezon City. It has 4 spacious studios (3 of which are fully air-conditioned) equipped with ideal barres, resilient wooden floors, full-length mirrors and audio systems, dressing rooms, rest and shower rooms, waiting area, ample parking space and canteen.  It also has a dance shop that carries all dance items and a costume room.  The school has a good collection of classical music and videos of classical dances. 

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 In order to provide an appropriate and comprehensive program, Shirley Halili Cruz, the school’s Director and Founder authored a 5-level Baby Ballet Syllabus and a 12-level Classical Ballet syllabus based on the Filipino physique, innate artistic ability and culture.  This syllabi covers the different levels of ballet, which the HCSB offers all year round. Aside from the Syllabi authored by Shirley, the school enhances its program by using the following: Ballet Syllabus of the (CSTD) Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing – based in Singapore and Australia, American Academy of Ballet Syllabus based in New York, and the Philippine National Ballet Syllabus.