About

Movement Arts Atlanta provides high-quality dance training and programing to the Atlanta community focusing of the joy in the art of dance.

MAA is directed and being developed by Carolyn Stine McLaughlin. Here is her biography and a link to her reel.

Carolyn Stine McLaughlin is a native of Atlanta. She grew up performing with Southern Ballet of Atlanta, a company which was a leader of the regional dance movement in the South. She attended Virginia Intermont College where she apprenticed with the Bristol Ballet. Ms. McLaughlin graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Ballet with a teaching emphasis. After several years working in management for companies such as Federated Department Stores and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, she returned to dance.

Ms. McLaughlin has performed professionally with Kolors Dance, Ondine and Company, Beacon Dance and Disney (where she was thrilled to play Mary Poppins). Ms. McLaughlin has taught and created dance programs for the YWCA, Georgia State University and the Fulton County Arts Council. Ms. McLaughlin spent 13 years as the Associate Director of Good Moves acting in both an administrative and artistic roles.

She works as an arts project manager, choreographer and teacher. The majority of her project work is for the Atlanta Preservation Center where she has managed four City-wide festivals of the historic built environment. Under her management, The Phoenix Flies: A Celebration of Atlanta’s Historic Sites grew to include nearly 100 sites and 250 free events. She received the Jenny Thurston Award from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission for her accomplishments with this program. With the Atlanta Preservation Center, she also developed the Drawing Room Gallery and served as gallerist and curator for multiple exhibits that included the talents of Shela Pree Bright, Lucinda Bunnen, Jerry Cullum, Jody Fausett and David Yoakley Mitchell.

In 2011, she began the development of Movement Arts Atlanta. This included a program of ballet classes called Ballet Above the Bar located at The Marianna which is above the Wrecking Bar Brew Pub. Currently, classes are held at Ms. McLaughlin’s home studio. She also guest teaches and lectures at Atlanta area dance schools.

Ms. McLaughlin is active in the Atlanta Dance Community. She directs the only free admission dance festival in the City. Founded in 2001, the Inman Park Dance Festival is a two-day festival of classical and modern concert dance that is part of The Inman Park Festival and Tour of Homes. She is also a committed board member for Full Radius Dance.