Growing up in San Francisco, California, Cheryl came from a family that loved to dance. At four years old, she began taking ballet lessons and performing throughout the Bay Area. When she was ten, she discovered ballroom and decided to change her focus. She hung up her ballet shoes and began training in both standard dance and Latin. By 13, Cheryl was competing and traveling all over the world.

For Cheryl, dancing is a way of life. It provides a medium for her to express her inner feelings and passion all the while maintaining focus and composure during extremely high-pressure situations. It is dancing that has made her such a competitor (both on and off the floor) and made her strive for perfection in anything that she sets out to do.

Cheryl 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.

--ABC