The accolades

and accomplishments are beginning to pile up for local dancer Josh Reynolds,

who has been featured on numerous occasions in local media.

The 17-year-old

received a full scholarship to study this summer with the School of American

Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. He has previously

been awarded a similar scholarship to the Pennsylvania Rock School of

Ballet. Now Reynolds will be joining the Atlanta Ballet as a full-time

apprentice company member, one of the youngest in the history of the Atlanta

Ballet according to Artistic Director John McFall.

"You get

so well acquainted with them," said McFall of the young dancers who

start with the company as apprentices. "I don't think of these things.

He has a poise and stature that is very unusual for his age."

Although shy

and introverted, Reynolds' exterior cannot hide the intensity of the skills

he has developed since he began dance lessons at age seven. His dedication

has already allowed him to experience a level of success that few have

achieved at his age. He is currently in Vail, Colo., with the Atlanta

Ballet, performing various works including Garden of Mirth, choreographed

in "Requiem and Transcendence" this past spring with the Atlanta

Ballet at the Fox Theater.

"I would

imagine his head is swimming a little bit right now," said McFall,

"but he is a very talented and well-trained dancer."

None of this

success, however, comes as a surprise to Sherri Davis, owner and creative

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

Dance Theatre, her professional company. "He'll be on the cover some

day," she said in an earlier interview while holding up a copy of

Dance Magazine. "There's no doubt in my mind."

And while his

talents may one day call Reynolds