‘Dancing With the Stars’ champ to partner with Shape Up S.F. for new dance center
SAN FRANCISCO — Potrero Hill’s Metronome Ballroom, a favorite of local hoofers for many years, nearly lost its lease — until Dancing With the Stars’ two-time Emmy-nominated star Cheryl Burke saved the dance center from oblivion last month. On April 4, the 15,000-sq.-foot building opened as Cheryl Burke Dance, with the help of celebrity guests like Burke’s Dancing With the Stars partners Drew Lachey and Cristián de la Fuente, who shared impromptu cha cha lessons on the dance floor with NFL legend Jerry Rice.
The studio will partner with Shape Up San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom’s initiative against childhood obesity, to which Burke serves as an adviser.
“She actually called our office first, which really surprised me,” Newsom said at the grand opening. “We are proud of our Filipino American community in San Francisco, and are honored that Cheryl decided to call our office to say, ‘What do you care the most about? How can I help connect?’”
The inspiration for the business came from Cheryl’s fans, according to interim CEO (and mother of Cheryl) Sherri Burke.
“Cheryl goes to so many different cities while on tour, and people were constantly asking her when they could pay to get lessons from her,” said Sherri Burke, adding that she hopes it will be the first of many studios in the chain.
For Cheryl Burke, a graduate of Atherton High School, dancing didn’t always open doors.
“When I was in high school, I tried to go into [physical education] classes to bring ballroom dance to people who just wanted to learn how to dance,” she recalled. “A lot of people turned it down. I don’t think they realized the value then. Dance isn’t just something for the wealthy.” In fact, she has hopes of establishing an inner city school dance program in the future.
Shape Up San Francisco staff Christina Carpenter and Catherine Dodd were excited to work with Burke on programming in upcoming months. A Shape Up S.F. survey last year revealed that over 80 percent of middle school-aged students in San Francisco failed the minimum fitness test, and a quarter hardly exercise at all.
“There are so many different dances, and dance can transcend culture because it communicates so easily between people,” Dodd said.
Carpenter added that Burke’s star power will promote the program well.
“If we could bottle Cheryl’s energy and passion for dance in a pill, it’d be a cure-all!” she laughed.
Tom Bergeron, host of Dancing With the Stars, said Burke can turn any two-left-footer into a pro dancer in no time — even him. “I swear — give Cheryl and me two weeks. I could probably do it, too!”
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