Sharon Senese

Sheri Senese passed peacefully in her sleep on the morning of February 23, 2026, at the age of 77.

She leaves behind her beloveds: her superhero son, Jack Senese, his beautiful wife Jessie, and their three angelic children, Olivia, Jack, and Gray; and her butterfly daughter, Gabrielle Blachley, along with her cherished “Honey Boy,” Leonidas Hawkinson.

Sheri was a luminous being whose legacy will live on in the hearts of the many lives she touched with her grace, strength, and unmistakable lightness of being.

A professional ballerina, Sheri lived a remarkable and artful life devoted to dance. She trained and performed with legendary figures including Ruth Page in Chicago and George Balanchine, her beloved “Mr. B” during her time in Europe, becoming an American ballerina abroad. She danced alongside renowned artists including Rudolf Nureyev and the distinguished duo David and Anna Marie Holmes, embracing a career that carried her across stages and continents.

Her passion for dance swept through the South Side of Chicago, where she founded The Conservatory of Dance, building more than studios, she built sanctuaries. There, she taught hundreds of students seeking artistic expression, discipline, confidence, and healing through movement. For Sheri, dance was never simply performance it was a way of life…

Beyond the stage and studio, Sheri expressed her love in the kitchen. Her cooking was legendary among family and friends meals prepared with the same artistry, beauty, and love that defined her dancing. Her table was a gathering place, filled with warmth, laughter, stories, and inevitably a live performance!

Sheri’s magnetism drew people to her effortlessly. Her beautiful style, her captivating stories, and the way she carried herself through life’s challenges with fiery grace left a lasting imprint on all who knew her. She embodied resilience, elegance, creativity, and heart.

Her spirit lives on in every pirouette taken with courage, in every shared family meal, in every student who finds confidence through art, and in the family who carries forward her strength, beauty, and love.