Moving in the Spirit to get new home in Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA development

Nonprofit Moving in the Spirit has signed a 99-year ground lease with MARTA and Columbia Ventures to build its new facility at the Edgewood/Candler Park transit-oriented development (TOD).

Founded in Atlanta in 1986, Moving in the Spirit’s dance programs help children and teens ages 3-18 develop  social, emotional, and cognitive skills.

Phase II of the Edgewood/Candler Park TOD will feature Moving in the Spirit’s new home, a state-of-the-art 21,500 square foot facility designed by Perkins+Will that will double the organization’s capacity from 250 to 500 students. In addition to two fully-equipped studios, the facility will include a 150-seat professional theater with one of the few wheelchair-accessible tech booths in the city. This theater will allow Moving in the Spirit and its youth-serving partners to reach an additional 15,000 children and families through performances and workshops, and will serve as a resource for Atlanta’s professional dance community.

“We identified a need to be located next to a rail line years ago when, during the economic recession, the MARTA bus stop in front of our former facility was eliminated, putting hardship on our families,” said CEO and co-founder of Moving in the Spirit, Dana Lupton. “We are thrilled to work with MARTA and Columbia Ventures on this innovative endeavor, exemplifying how the arts can unite communities, spur economic development, promote transit use, and empower youth.”

Moving in the Spirit anticipates breaking ground on the project in the third quarter of this year.