Sirrom School of Dance

Houston's Oldest Belly Dancing School...Where Dancing is our Business

5570 Weslayan (at Bissonnet) Houston, TX 77005

(713) 621-9818   Fax: (713) 621-5738   sirromschool@att.net

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"This dance is for all ages and body types, and is a wonderful way to meet new friends."

 -- Pat Wright, owner of Sirrom Studio -- knew she wanted to pursue belly dancing when she first took lessons in 1976--it stole her heart and soul. Little did she realize at that time that she would be running her own studio in the near future. Having the studio gives her and the other teachers at Sirrom the opportunity to pass on this beautiful art form. 

Her inspiration comes from the late Ibraham Farrah, in addition to all the outstanding teachers that Sir

Thaliarom continues to bring in on an ongoing basis.

What she hopes to pass along to her students is that belly dancing is a wonderful way to tone up your body, as well as clearing your mind of stress. 

In addition to performing in numerous festivals, galas, and clubs in Houston, Thalia was also a featured dancer in the Houston Grand Opera presentation at the Wortham Theatre of "The Abduction from the Segeralio"--yes, she had big hair too!

Mary Peterson, Thalia's first teacher, gave her her dance name, which means luscious and blooming. 

Thalia wishes to thank all of the Sirrom staff--they are her best friends and sisters in dance; all of them are excellent teachers who give so much of their time and energy to keep the studio running at the highest level of quality.

"We are the keepers of this dance. Its past and its roots are in the Middle East, but its future is in our hands...always, always treat it with the respect it deserves."

Shakira Massood-Ali, artistic director, whose maternal grandparents were from Syria, was attracted to the dance as a way of keeping her heritage. She began her career in 1977 in Kansas City, Mo., studying with Zaina Ali for 7 years. Throughout her dance career, Shakira has also studied with Ibrahim Farrah, Cassandra, Leila Gamal, Judy Reda, Bert Baladine, Zahra Zuhair, Morocco, Dahlena, Dunya, Vasthi, Beata Zardo-Cifentus and Horacio Cifentus, and Rayah Hassan to name only a few. 

The fact that the dance is always changing, growing, and expanding keeps her interested (as Shakira is, but not necessarily in that order). One fact that she stresses to her students is for them to be creative--fusions are a blending of cultures--but it's the technique of middle eastern dancing that allows us the ability to be able to create a fusion and we should treat the dance accordingly. 

Her weekly inspiration comes from the students and teachers at Sirrom who she loves to watch dance (and borrow from) and grow. 

Sharika has been teaching since 1984 and, fortunately for us, moved to Houston in 1986 and continued her teaching career at Sirrom. Since 1994, she has been the Artistic Director of Sirrom and has been leading force in Sirrom's participation in numerous festivals in the Houston area. Along with the other Sirrom teachers, she was featured in the Houston Grand Opera presentation at the Wortham Theatre of "The Abduction from the Segeralio"--talk about big hair!

Kezia Ali "christened" Shakira with her name which comes from a variety of sources--Shakira was Yule Brenner's wife; and Ali is in honor of Zaina Ali and the Ali family in Kansas City, MO. 

"The most important thing is to be able to feel the music and dance from the heart."

Sarin -- boutique manager -- began her 15-year career in middle eastern dance when a couple of friends signed her up and drug her, kicking and screaming to her first class. And she hasn't stopped dancing yet, to the benefit of Sirrom students and staff. 

Her inspiration for the dance comes from Suhaila Salimpour from California, and Karen Barbee and Vashti from Texas. 

Sarin has been a teacher with Sirrom for the past 4 years. In addition, she also keeps the boutique well-stocked.

"The most important thing is to be able to feel the music and dance from the heart."

"The more you learn and the more often you dance, the better you feel about yourself and your accomplishments."

Her name (pronounced M' uh ree) was inspired by Avon's perfume of rich and exotic spices from far away places, a sensual experience with a bit of mystery. 

Imari's also teaches hula. "The hulas were so relaxed and happy, I thought I'd try it. The Tahitian drums were another story. No one can sit still when they heard those exciting rhythms." 

 

We are sisters in the dance that keeps us young and strong. 

Lokelani is the director of Sirrom's Aloha Polynesia troupe. She also teaches the beginner's Hawaiian and Tahitian dance class each Monday night. Students enjoy this form of exercise as they learn the various dance steps to beautiful music from the islands, as well as the culture of the islands. Lokelani has traveled to the Hawaiian Islands and has attended various workshops from the Polynesia Culture Center and others.

In addition to Polynesian dance, she is also the belly dancer known as "Shiraz." She appeared as the carnival belly dancer in the movie "Liar's Moon" back in the mid-1980's starring Matt Dillion.

Kasia Ali started her study of the Rak Sharqi art form at Sirrom School of Dance and has loved every minute. She is continuously complimented on how much fun and excitement she brings to the stage along with her detailed analysis of how the movements are created. Kasia feels so privileged to pass on her knowledge as an instructor at the school that showed her this great art form. Her dance mom Shakira Massood Ali shared her knowledge with her and Kasia feels it only right to continue passing that knowledge on to her students. 

Kasia performs regularly with Solange Dance Company, Miltonio & Da Glitter, Tribal Glitter and her own Sirrom dance troupe, Khazana. For nearly a year Kasia was one of the principal dancers at Alexander the Great Greek and prior to that she was one of the principal dancers at Kairo Café. She also has performed at the Houston Music Hall, Helios, The Sands, Luxor, Russian Bear, Mykonos, Yannie’s, Olympia, Magic Island, Texas Renaissance Festival, Houston International Festival, Houston Club, Weddings, Birthdays, Reunions, several Multi-Cultural festivals, Parades, and many other events throughout Houston, the great state of Texas and the nation.