Cheryl Bautista Burke was born on May 12, 1984 in New York City. She is a two-time Emmy nominated professional dancer best known for her stint on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars. She spent her childhood in San Francisco, California, and was raised by a family of dance enthusiasts. Burke is part-Filipino, part-Irish and Part Russian, and started learning ballet and performing when she was only four years old. At the age of 11, she fell in love with ballroom dancing, and consequently opted to train in ballroom and Latin dancing instead. Two years later, Burke began entering national and international dancing competitions, and in 2002, she finished her academic studies at Menlo-Atherton High School. Among the many recognitions she has received are being crowned Professional Rising Star Latin Champion in the 2005 World Cup, and two Emmy award nominations for Outstanding Choreography.
As a featured dancer on the ABC reality series, Burke’s great talent and skills brought her back-to-back victories, the first with singer Drew Lachey in season 2, and the second with NFL star Emmitt Smith in season 3. On the fourth season, Burke was paired with actor Ian Ziering , finishing in fourth place. For the fifth season, Burke was paired with singer and actor Wayne Newton , and they were the third couple eliminated. Her season 6 partner actor Cristian de la Fuente and she made it to the season finale, but finished third. She was cast on the show’s 7th season as the professional partner of Olympic track gold medalist Maurice Greene, this season’s answer to Kristi Yamaguchi of last season.
Outside of Dancing with the Stars, Burke is a pretty decorated professional dancer. For one, she holds the distinction of being the youngest in the Emmy category where she was nominated. With several UK championships under her belt, her advocacy includes supporting local schools.