Ballroom Dancing Remains on the Hill

One, two, three – One, two three – One, two, three. The instructor counts the rhythm to the waltz as a dancer elegantly glides across the floor. Though many Hill residents were disappointed when long-time neighbor Metronome Ballroom departed the community last year, they will be gratified to know that ballroom dancing has not left the neighborhood altogether.
With its urban, artsy, loft appeal, the recently renovated space formerly occupied by the Metronome Ballroom, is now home to Cheryl Burke Dance. The new dance studio fits in perfectly with Potrero Hill’s flourishing environs. Located at 17th and De Haro streets, Cheryl Burke Dance celebrated its grand opening two months ago with a fundraiser for Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Shape Up San Francisco Initiative. The event was attended by Cheryl Burke, the studio’s namesake, who’s a Bay Area native, two-time Emmy nominee and two-time champion on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Other celebrities at the event included her former dancing partner Drew Lachey; current partner Cristián de la Fuente; Jerry Rice, and Mayor Newsom.
With the 17-year-old Metronome struggling financially, and owner Bram Morris ready to retire, Cheryl Burke, her mother Sherri, and Michael Reeves decided to purchase the Metronome because they didn’t want to lose San Francisco’s last ballroom. “San Francisco was lacking a really good ballroom school. Most of the smaller ballroom schools in the San Francisco area had pretty much dissolved, and this was one of the few left in the City. We thought it was so significant that we kept a really good ballroom school in San Francisco,” said Reeves. According to Sherri Burke, “We wanted to make sure that San Francisco continued to have a place, a venue for dancing - ballroom dancing especially. We feel there has to be a place for San Franciscans to express art in some form or another through dancing.”
Cheryl Burke Dance hopes to “promote physical fitness through dance.” According to Reeves, dancing “is the second best exercise to swimming because you’re using the whole body, not just parts of it.” The dance studio offers more than 60 classes a week, including waltz, ballet, salsa, belly dancing and Argentine tango. And Cheryl Burke Dance instructors work to tailor their courses to their clients’ needs. “Rather than have people come to us, we try to develop a curriculum around what people are asking for. We’re always inventing and reinventing ourselves into what the public wants now,” said Reeves.
On Friday, June 13th, Cheryl Burke will welcome aspiring dancers to her studio, in an event that includes a Latin dance lesson at 7:30 p.m., followed by a social dance party at 8 p.m. The alcohol-free gathering will be held every Friday night thereafter. “We will introduce them to three dances, and then they can stay and dance afterwards,” said Reeves. For more information: 252.9000; www.cherylburkedance.com.

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