cheryl burke aka Cheryl biography

Cheryl Bautista Burke is a two time Emmy nominated professional dancer. As the professional dancer partner, she won the competition in the second and third seasons of ABC's American version of Dancing with the Stars with celebrity dance partners Drew Lachey (February 2006) and Emmitt Smith (November 2006). She was the first professional dancer to win two Dancing with the Stars championships and in any competition. (Julianne Hough followed with two back-to-back championships in seasons 4 and 5).Cheryl grew up in Atherton, California. She is of Filipino, Russian, and Irish descent. Her family dances recreationally and have a dance floor at home. At 4 years of age she began taking ballet lessons and performing locally. She then began ballroom dancing and decided to change her focus. She trained in both standard ballroom and latin dances. She began competing at age 13. Cheryl has two sisters, Mandy and Nicole. Burke is a 2002 graduate of Menlo-Atherton High School.

Burke contends that dancing provides a medium for her to express her inner feelings and passion all the while maintaining focus and composure during extremely high-pressure situations.

Burke says that her dancing style is unlike anyone else's. She takes pride in being a "rule breaker" and feels that her greatest achievements in dancing are still to come.