Cheryl Burke Explains Why She Had an ‘Accent’ in Early Seasons of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
If you’re a long-time fan of Dancing with the Stars, you might remember professional ballroom dancer Cheryl Burke having an accent during early seasons of the show. Find out why the two-time Mirrorball Champion’s voice used to sound different when she first started performing in the competition series. Plus, watch clips from Burke’s original audition tape for DWTS when she had this accent.
Cheryl Burke explains how she got into ballroom dance
As a child, Burke participated in ballet. However, after getting her period at the age of 9-years-old and developing “curves,” she dropped out of ballet. Later, when she was 11-years-old, her parents started to take ballroom dance and encouraged she join them. At the time, she thought ballroom dance was “only for older people,” but eventually Burke’s mother encouraged her to attend a competition. While there, she took notice of a children’s Latin dance competition and was instantly hooked.
After making a name for herself in the world of Latin and ballroom dance, Burke joined the cast of professionals on Dancing with the Stars in 2006. She has won two Mirrorballs in her time on the show: the first with 98 Degrees member Drew Lachey in season 2 and another with retired football star Emmitt Smith in season 3.
Today, Burke is still a pro dancer on the Disney+ competition series. In season 31, Burke’s celebrity partner was Good Morning America star Sam Champion. The duo was eliminated during Disney Night in week 4.
‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro says her British accent came from a lack of identity
Burke has addressed the change in her voice several times, including on her podcasts. “I was looking through old VHS tapes and I had an English accent,” Burke recalled speaking to Maksim and Val Chmerkovskiy in a 2021 episode of Pretty Messed Up. “Do you remember that, guys? Do you remember my tiny little mouse-like voice that kind of sounded like I was from England?” Val admitted he wasn’t sure where Burke was from at first. He also remembered being surprised to learn she was part Russian. “I’m actually 53% Ashkenazi Jew,” Burke added.
According to Burke, she “had no identity” at the time. “You just get thrown into this [world],” she explained. In a more recent episode of her new podcast Burke in the Game, the DWTS pro explains that sentiment more thoroughly.
“When I first did my first audition, I had an English accent,” she said. “Who in the f*** was I?” Burke proceeded to replicate her accent. With a Pilipino mother, Burke isn’t sure where her accent came from.
“I was a chameleon,” she explained. “I molded to whoever. My coach had a European accent. Dancing with the Stars has helped me figure out my own identity. … They forced me to have an opinion because I didn’t have one.”
Watch Cheryl Burke’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ audition tape
Dancing with the Stars fans can see snippets of Burke’s original audition tape thanks to Entertainment Tonight. “On the dance floor, I’m very wild, aggressive, and sexy,” Burke says in the video with that high-pitched accent she mentioned. “But off the floor, I’m very to myself, mostly like an all-American girl.”
Burke and Champion might be out for the remainder of season 31, but they’ll be back in the finale. Tune in to new episodes of Dancing with the Stars weekly on Disney+.
