Tiny dancers! Cheryl Burke took a trip down memory lane when she shared a throwback video of herself competing in a dance competition alongside fellow Dancing With the Stars pros Julianne Hough, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas.
The Dance Moms host, 36, posted a clip via Instagram from the 1997 Nevada Star Ball that featured the foursome showing off their dance skills when they were younger. In the video, Burke and Derek, now 35, are introduced with their respective partners while Julianne, now 31, and Ballas, now 34, competed in the ball together.
“Couldn’t wait until Thursday for this epic #throwback! Can you believe I’m only 13 years old here?! @juleshough @derekhough @markballas, you’re welcome,” the California native captioned the post on Tuesday, July 7.
The pals went on to become professional dancers on the ABC reality competition series Dancing With the Stars. Burke won her first championship in season 2 with her partner, Drew Lachey, making her the first female professional to win the show. She won her second mirrorball in season 3 with retired football star Emmitt Smith.
Julianne took home the trophy in season 4 with her partner, Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno. Her win made her the youngest professional dancer to win the show. The Footloose star also took home the trophy in season 15 with race car driver Hélio Castroneves.
Ballas, for his part, won season 6 with figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and season 8 with gymnast Shawn Johnson.
As for Derek, the World of Dance judge has won the competition six times — more than any other Dancing With the Stars pro. Derek’s wins include season 5 with Jennie Garth, season 7 with Brooke Burke, season 10 with Nicole Scherzinger, season 11 with Jennifer Grey, season 16 with Kellie Pickler, season 17 with Amber Riley and season 21 with Bindi Irwin. He competed in season 23 with Marilu Henner but the couple was eliminated in eighth place.
Burke has had some downtime to reflect on her dancing career while being quarantined with her husband, Matthew Lawrence, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The couple — who tied the knot in May 2019 — had an unconventional first year of marriage due to the global health crisis.
The ABC personality told Us Weekly in April that she feels “a sense of ease and peace now that I’m married” despite their plans being put on pause.
“The first year has been great. I mean, that has been like, it’s tested us for sure. Not just this but anything,” Burke said at the time. “We were also in the process of moving, but now that obviously has to be put on hold. But we’re in the same boat as everybody else, and as long as we’re all just staying home and obeying, I guess, the rules and being quarantined.”
