Shanna Irwin grew up in New Jersey, where she began training as a competitive dancer. She later switched her focus to ballet when she was accepted into The New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble under the direction of Nancy Turano. Shanna went on to continue her studies at Marymount Manhattan College and began touring with Complexions Contemporary Ballet during her senior year. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in May 2014. Shanna completed five seasons with Complexions and joined Ballets Jazz Montréal in 2019. Her career has led her to perform in opera houses across five continents, where she has danced the works of Crystal Pite, Dwight Rhoden, Aszure Barton, Itzik Galili, Andonis Foniadakis, and Juliano Nunes, among others. This is her fifth season with Ballet Jazz Montreal.