career in the art in September.

Seventeen-year-old Kim Harriott has accomplished in three years what it has taken some dancers a lifetime to master.

Ms Harriott joined the In Motion dance school in 1997 and since then has impressed her instructors with her determination to make it to an international level of dancing.

She has been trained in a variety of dances including Latin, improvisation and swing and hopes to hone her talents in either the North Carolina School of the Arts or the State University of New York at Purchase.

In Motion Dance School owner and director Lizz Pimentel said she was very proud of Ms Harriott's accomplishments and hoped that this kind of success would send a positive message to the community.

"She's looking to do this as a career,'' Ms Pimentel said. "This is a good opportunity to highlight all her work and efforts so that people in Bermuda can see that our youth are not all that bad.'' Ms Harriott, who recently graduated from Warwick Academy, said her three years of dancing have been intense.

She added that she has always had an affinity for the arts for as long as she can remember.

"I first joined (In Motion) when I was 15 years old,'' she said. "I was always exposed to the arts and I've always liked watching dancers.

"So I decided that I should join somewhere.'' Ms Harriott noted that getting her body in shape for the rigorous training that her level of dancing required was a task that taught her patience and discipline.

"It was hard trying to change my body,'' she said. "I had to work really hard to catch up to my age group.'' Dancing up the ladder Ms Pimentel added: "Muscularly she didn't have what people who have been dancing for years have. It was very hard for her to reach the level of her peers, but she was very committed and it has paid off.'' Ms Harriott credited her strong support of family and teachers and strong sense of determination as the reasons behind her successes in dancing.

"I've set such strong goals for myself,'' she said, "and I try not to get discouraged.

"One of the things Lizz created at the school is a family atmosphere. They are very supportive of each other and they push you hard.'' Ms Pimentel added that one of her main focuses for bring Ms Harriott's dance accomplishments to the forefront was "the need to return Bermuda to its cultural greatness''.

She added: "There is a lot of talent on the Island. We can develop it to a level that is quality and will be able to produce artists on the Island if we provide the proper training.''