Growing up in San Francisco, CA, Cheryl Burke came from a family who all loved to dance. At just four years old, she began taking ballet lessons and performed throughout the Bay area until she was 10. It was at that time that she discovered that ballroom "wasn’t just for old people” and decided to change her focus. She hung up her ballet shoes and began training in both standard and Latin. By 13, Burke was competing and traveling all over the world. Some of her achievements included being the 2005 World Cup Professional Rising Star, Latin Champion in UK Championships and fourth in the U.S.
