By TRICIA HILL

With seven months of practice completed, the students of Shine Power Studio & Gym in Boscobel are in their final stages of preparation for their recital at the end of April. The recital will be held April 25 & 26 at the Lancaster High School Auditorium. Tickets are available with adults starting at $9 and children ages 12 and under $7. The theme for the first recital put on by Shine Power Studio & Gym will be “Wild About Dance.”

“It will be lots of animal print and fun,” Instructor Meghan Biba said. “Tickets will go on sale April 11 and will be available at the studio for purchase.”

Boscobel native Meghan Biba started the Shine Power Studio & Gym in August of 2014. Biba is a graduate of Boscobel High School who has always had a passion for dance. In her high school days, she could be found after school busy practicing at RC Dance and Gymnastics in Richland Center about three nights a week from 6 – 10:30 p.m. every night.

After graduating high school, she continued her education at UW-Richland, where she earned her associates degree in business. She then went to Winona State University where she minored in dance. Some of the dance classes she participated in included ballet, modern dance, hop-hop, and much more. Biba then finished her education at UW-Platteville where she received her bachelors.

Instead of jumping right into her own studio, Biba started out with a summer dance class in Boscobel. Her first year she had a group of about 15 students and since then it has grown to about 70 students. Due to the increase in numbers, it was then that Biba decided it was time to open up her own dance studio. Shine Power Studio & Gym, LLC opened in August and shares space behind Suppz Fitness located on 403 Elm Street in Boscobel.

Mission statement

The Shine Power Studio & Gym’s mission statement is to be committed to providing kids with affordable dance, cheer, and tumbling classes while also giving each student a sense of importance and value.

“We strive to help kids gain confidence and self-respect by believing that everyone is unique and talented in their own way! At SPSG we want kids to feel like a star as soon as they enter the studio and above all we just wish for each child to go home feeling good about being themselves.”

“I along with my sister Rachel Biba do all the choreographing of the routines,” Biba said. “She is actually my assistant, otherwise known as my lifesaver. She has choreographed two of the routines for the recital this year as well as her own solo performance.”

As of right now students are not able to register for classes at Shine Power Studio & Gym. Registration for Fall/Winter classes will begin in August. In order to be eligible to take classes at Shine Power Studio & Gym students must be in the age range of three to 18 years old. Classes that are available to students include tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, ballet, cheer and tumbling.

“To participate in pointe, students have to be at least 12 years old and have a background in ballet,” Biba said. “That is actually my favorite and if they start young and train into it, it can be super awesome.”

Tuition options

In order to join Shine Power Studio & Gym, there is a tuition cost. Parents have the option of paying the tuition in full at the beginning of the year or it can be broken up into four quarters. Students tuition costs are as follows: 30 minute classes are $160 for the year or $40 per quarter, 45 minute classes are $200 for the year or $50 per quarter, 60 minute classes are $260 for the year or $65 per quarter. There are $5 discounts offered per sibling and for every class a student takes after the first class. Biba also offers an unlimited amount of classes for $800.

“I have kids that come to me from Fennimore, Wauzeka, Soldiers Grove, and Muscoda,” Biba said. “One of the best parts about it is that all the communities are so nice and fun to work with.”

For the August 2015 registration, Biba is going to attempt to do a food drive. This means that every can of food that is brought to registration, the families would get a dollar off of their tuition. Students are allowed to bring up to five cans.
“Potentially, parents could get up to $5 off per child and hopefully we can get up to 200 cans of food donated,” Biba said.
The studio is open three days a week including Monday 3:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Tuesday 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., and Thursday 3:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. When parents register their students, they generally e-mail Biba the necessary information including: child’s name, age, and the class of interest.

“I have students who participate in around seven classes at one time,” Biba said. “I actually forget that they are in so many programs because they remember their routines so well.”­

Summer program

For students who are unsure about participating in dance, Biba recommends they attend her summer program. The summer classes are held twice a week June through July. During that time students will practice for a performance in the park on July 4. Students will also be able to participate in the Fourth of July Parade in Boscobel. Summer registration will begin in May.

“Summer is a great time to test it out because they pretty much practice in June and then perform on the Fourth of July,” Biba said. “If they really like it, they can continue on with our studio in August.”

The summer classes usually cost around $65 for students. The students do not have costumes. They will have a t-shirt with the Shine Power Gym & Studio logo on it with a pair of shorts.

Biba, currently has 86 students participating at her Shine Power Studio & Gym. In hopes of gaining more interest from the boys for next season, Biba is going to try to have an all boys’ hip-hop class. She has three boys already participating and she hopes to have at least four or more next year.

“I think it is more fun if the boys go into the all-girls class, but I am going to test the all-boys hip-hop out during the summer to start,” Biba said. “I am going to add some karate and other cool moves into their routine to make it look cool.”

If interested in learning more information on the Shine Power Studio & Gym, feel free to check them out on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/shinepowerstudio or contact Meghan Biba at shinepowerstudio@outlook.com or by phone at 608-485-2589.