Success, like

beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder. For some, it means great wealth

while others define it as how much power they wield. Still others define

success by the size of their address book rather than their bank book.

But success,

she leaves - on the people with which they make contact or the impact

they have had on people's lives. By that measure, Sherri Davis, owner

and creative director of the Georgia Academy of Dance in Peachtree City,

has reached her apex. Her legacy will surely be the number of students

who have gone on to careers in dance or the arts. It is a legacy that

continues to grow each year as new classes of dancers mature.

This year's

class will showcase its talents with three shows at the Starr's Mill Auditorium.

The early childhood performance of "The Big Top Circus"

will be presented Saturday, May 31 at 11 a.m., followed by "Georgia

On My Mind," a celebration of contemporary dance to music by native

Georgia artists at 7 p.m. Sunday will conclude with a 2 p.m. performance

of "La Fille Mal Gardee," an entertaining and comical ballet/love

story that is great for adults and children alike. Guest artist Christian

Clark of the Atlanta Ballet will dance the role of Colin, a shepherd boy

who falls in love with a peasant girl Lisette, whose mother does not approve

of their romance. General admission tickets can be purchased at the door

for $10.

Three Georgia

Academy of Dance students are attending, or will be attending, prestigious

fellowships with nationally acclaimed professional dance companies. Katie

Rourke, 17, of Peachtree City, will be one of 32 students attending the

Kaatspaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, New York. The center was

founded by a group that includes Martine van Hamel and Kevin McKenzie,

the artistic director of the American Ballet Theater in New York. Rourke,

a junior at Starr's Mill High School, is among the top five percent of

her class, takes Advanced Placement Science and performs on the

school dance team.

One of the

resident mothers at Georgia Academy of Dance, office manager Brenda Reynolds,

has two reasons to be grinning ear to ear this year. Her daughter Jennifer,

18, was accepted to dance with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

in New York City, while her son Josh, who is a year younger, has been

awarded full scholarships to the advanced study programs of the Miami

City Ballet, School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre of

New York. Josh has chosen to attend the School of American Ballet in New

York City this summer. Each Position could lead to an apprenticeship and

eventually a full-time position with the dance companies.

For Josh, it

is just the latest in a series of triumphs, which Davis is convinced will

lead to the bright lights and wherever else he wants to go. "He'll

be on the cover some day," she said while holding up a copy of Dance

Magazine. "There's no doubt in my mind." Josh is currently on

full scholarship with the Atlanta Ballet. Of all the scholarship students

chosen by the Atlanta Ballet, Josh is the only dancer selected to take

company classes and perform with the company. He recently performed "Requiem"

with the company at the Fox Theater

For Davis,

of course, it keeps her studio at the epicenter of a dance boom in Fayette

County, as well as in the eye of the professional dance companies. Each

year, she manages to bring guest instructors and artists from around the

world, and around the corner. Dennis Malinkline, who was principal dancer

for the Atlanta Ballet and a graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy has

been on staff at Georgia Academy of Dance since last year. Her staff also

includes Ramazan Bapov, another former principal dancer with the Bolshoi

Theater in Moscow, and Tatiana Joravel, who began her career at age ten

at the Kiev Ballet Academy.

But as proud

of her visiting staff as she is, Davis gives as much credit to the staff

who teaches the majority of the 465 students every day. "We have

the best staff and the best kids in the area, I think," she said.

"Everyone of them is completely dedicated to their kids. We have

all levels of dancers, too. You don't have to aspire to a career in dance."

"One of

the things we have done here, though," she said, "is to try

to maintain balance. The majority of the kids who dance here won't dance

professionally and don't want to and that's OK."

"Dance

not only teaches them the physical things in life," she said, "it

also teaches them how to endure, it teaches them persistence, and how

to be a team player."

That is not

just a formula for success. That is an enduring legacy.

Back

to the Top of the Page