The festival brings together over 130 teams and thousands of students, and Keller-based Time to Shine Performing Arts\u2019<\/a> journey was defined by a single word: resilience.<\/p>\n When the going gets tough<\/p>\n Within hours of landing in Atlanta, one student was diagnosed with Flu B and rushed to urgent care. Then, on the morning of the competition, one of the team\u2019s strongest singers woke up with no voice at all.<\/p>\n With the performance scheduled for that night, the team had to pivot instantly.<\/p>\n The student with Flu B rehearsed in a mask until the second she stepped onstage to protect her teammates.<\/p>\n Moments before the performance, in the JTF warmup room, the team made a shift for their voiceless member. She would still take the stage to act out her role, but a teammate stood directly beside her to deliver her lines aloud.<\/p>\n This resilience was no accident; it was a skill cultivated through months of focused training.<\/p>\n \u201c[When rehearsing], I make changes to the show all the way up to the performance,\u201d founder and Director Trisha Baughman said. \u201cThat takes a certain level of intelligence, commitment, dedication and passion [from our students].\u201d Time to Shine offers a variety of class levels<\/a>, but students on the studio’s JTF team train with the intensity of athletes.<\/p>\n Rehearsals begin in November, and the preparation reaches a two-week high in January. To build the necessary stamina for their 15-minute set, students run, perform push-ups and do sit-ups, ensuring they are physically and mentally prepared for the high-stakes environment.<\/p>\n The judges took notice.<\/p>\n After the performance, the panel was specifically impressed with the team\u2019s dance technique.<\/p>\n \u201c[One judge] turned around to the entire room and said, \u2018Ladies and gentlemen, if you are a parent or a supporter of this school, you need to put all of your money into Time to Shine. … They know what they\u2019re doing. You can tell these kids are trained correctly.\u2019 … That was such a huge compliment,\u201d Baughman said.<\/p>\n The judges also highlighted that even the students in the back row remained 100% invested in the story, never breaking character.<\/p>\n The result? Time to Shine walked away with the Excellence in Dance award and an honorable mention in the Tech Olympics. The studio’s technical excellence was further shown in the iTheatrics<\/a> video auditions. iTheatrics is the organization that develops the “Junior” and “Kids” versions of major musicals for Music Theatre International<\/a> (MTI), creating the scripts and choreography used by schools worldwide.<\/p>\n At JTF, students audition for the chance to be featured in future choreography DVDs. Time to Shine submitted four students who had to learn complex choreography via video and then apply immediate, live changes in the audition room: a high-pressure test of adaptability.<\/p>\n Every single student sent by Time to Shine earned a callback. The most impactful moment, however, happened away from the lights in the cool-down room, a private space for student reflection. Without parents or directors speaking, the students sat in a circle and shared their experiences.<\/p>\n The words that surfaced weren’t about trophies, but about family, passion and kindness.<\/p>\n They celebrated the seniors who led the team through the chaos, and a younger student who pushed through a panic attack minutes before the performance.<\/p>\n “They knew they had gone through adversity, and they came out the other side shining bright,” said Baughman.<\/p>\n Coming soon: Oliver Jr.<\/p>\n A commitment to every child\u2019s growth is the engine behind Time to Shine\u2019s upcoming production of Oliver Jr.<\/a>, showing March 7-8 and March 12-13.<\/p>\n True to their mission, the show is triple-cast for main roles to ensure more students have the opportunity to lead. Additionally, the ensemble is double-cast so that each of the 73 students involved has at least one line and a “time to shine” front-and-center. Spring classes<\/a> are open for registration through February 15, and they run through May. The studio offers a comprehensive range of training, including:<\/p>\n Musical theater, dance and acting classesSmall group voice lessonsSmall group piano lessonsAdditionally, both half-day summer camp and performance summer camp registration<\/a> opens February 15.<\/p>\n Keep an eye on social media<\/a> the week prior, as the studio releases daily, clue-based riddles to reveal the upcoming performance camps. This is a tradition that has families planning their entire summers around the Time to Shine calendar.<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to learn more about Time to Shine Performing Arts or to register for spring classes today.<\/p>\n The above story was produced by Multi-Platform Journalist Sydney Heller<\/a> with Community Impact’s Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their “sponsored content” purchase through our advertising team.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Theater](\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/uploads\/images\/2026\/01\/30\/407572.png\")
Time to Shine Performing Arts team warming up before JTF performanceTraining for the unexpected<\/p>\n![\"Time](\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/uploads\/images\/2026\/01\/30\/407567.png\")
Time to Shine Performing Arts team holding Excellence in Dance awardSuccess beyond the stage: iTheatrics callbacks<\/p>\n![\"Time](\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/uploads\/images\/2026\/01\/30\/407568.png\")
Time to Shine Performing Arts iTheatrics auditioneesReaping the real reward<\/p>\nTime to Shine Performing Arts team on the final day of JTFJoin the movement: summer camps and class registration<\/p>\n