Shannon Therkildsen started dancing at the age of two. She trained in the Dallas area prior to training and perform for two years with The Hartford Ballet under the direction of Kirk Peterson. Shannon moved to Denver, Colorado, to continue her professional career as a corps member with Colorado Ballet. There, she performed in Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and Don Quixote, and other ballets. Shannon was also a member of Boulder Ballet, a founding member of Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet, and taught and competed in ballroom dancing with Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Throughout Shannon’s dance career, she taught ballet at various studios in the Denver metro area.​

Shannon retired from her dance career in 2009 when her son was born. Since then, she has joined the reinsurance industry, and is currently a Client Data Manager at Hannover Re, where she manages and trains a team of Data Analysts. After COVID, Shannon returned to ballet by joining the adult ballet community in Denver. Shannon continues to take class, perform, and teach. Being a member of the Ballet Melange Board gives Shannon another opportunity to share her love and support of dance.