Dancing Lessons How I Found Passion and Potential on the Dance Floor and in Life

"All of my fears and insecurities, the adrenaline rushing through my body, the perspiration on the palms of my hands¿it all came to a boil. Then the music started, and like so many times before, the nerves vanished. The minute and thirty seconds I had to dance . . . was magic."

On February 26, 2006, professional dancer Cheryl Burke and pop singer Drew Lachey were declared the winners of Dancing with the Stars on Cheryl's first season with the show. As the media parade began, it was a unique moment of validation and transformation for Cheryl that marked the start of an exhilarating new stage in her life and her career. How did this once shy girl, a girl who loved to dance but gave up ballet because she didn't have a "ballet body," overcome numerous insecurities to realize her dream of a successful dance career and become a champion¿twice¿on one of the most popular shows on television?

In Dancing Lessons, Cheryl Burke invites you into her life to experience her remarkable journey, from her first dance steps to ballroom dancing competitions around the world to Dancing with the Stars. Cheryl shares the glamour and excite- ment of the ballroom dancing world as well as the grit and hard work it demands of competitors.

Leading you into the rehearsal studios and backstage at Dancing with the Stars, Cheryl tells surprising stories about her celebrity partners and what she has learned from each of them. You'll find out how she and Drew Lachey came up with the sexy moves of their winning freestyle dance routine and how Tom DeLay really felt about wearing rhinestones, as well as what Emmitt Smith taught her about respect and which Dancing with the Stars partner Cheryl came close to dating.

Speaking candidly about her long struggle to transform self-doubt into self-confidence, Cheryl opens up in this book about her body issues and her difficulties in dealing with the media spotlight on her weight. She also tells the truth about the press's attempts to portray her as a party girl. At every stage, her family played an important role in keeping her focused on her future even while they sometimes disagreed about whether that future would include making a living from dance.

As irresistible as the tango and as uplifting as the jive, Dancing Lessons is an engaging story of courage, passion, and persistence. Read it and let Cheryl inspire you to give yourself permission to dance, as she tells her students, and pursue your own dreams, one step at a time.