Cha began dancing at the age of 15[2] and rose to prominence in his home country of South Korea, winning top honors at a national ballet competition[3] and going on to represent South Korea at the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition.

He subsequently won a full scholarship to study dance at Point Park University, where he was called a "resident powerhouse technician.

"[6] While dancing the lead role of Ichabod Crane at a Pittsburgh Playhouse production of Sleepy Hollow in 2004, Cha was lauded as a "complete package…a deceptively intelligent dancer.

"[7] Cha graduated with a BA in dance from the Conservatory of Performing Arts in 2006 and continued his studies at New York University.

[9] In 2008, Cha made the transition from ballet to classical Chinese dance, joining Shen Yun Performing Arts as a principal dancer.