"We're all pretty devastated because all of our routines are choreographed around all the props," said dancer Kylie Haupter. "Without the props, we can't compete, we can't dance, it's too late to rechoreograph."
The dance studio discovered Tuesday that a new white trailer containing all the props the children need for their dances had been stolen. The props were specially built, and if they aren't found, it could be a struggle to replace them before the next competition, which takes place in June.
"We have one dance. It's just all kindergarteners, first graders, and they use a jungle prop, and without that prop I don't think they would be able to compete," said Deanna Fitzmaurice, the mother of a dancer.
The girls are still working hard on their routines. The studio believes the thieves wanted the trailer and didn't realize the props were inside. The studio said the props probably have no value to the thieves, but they mean everything to the dancers.
"I'm pretty sure they dumped our props somewhere and we were just hoping that somebody might have seen them so we could get them back and not have to have our dancers go without," Fitzmaurice said.
The parents had donated money to build the props. The studio doesn't know where the funds will come from if they have to rebuild.
