OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A group of Kearney dancers had to improvise when their props stolen right before a big dance competition this weekend.
This was a big weekend for a group of young dancer out of Studio 320 in Kearney.
“We dance and we express our feelings through our dancing,” said Paige Ross, 10, one of the dancers.
However, disbelief and anger were emotions some of the dancers were feeling off the dance floor Saturday at the Spotlight Regional Dance Competition at the Overland Park Convention Center.
“I don’t know who did it, but I’m really mad because we use these a lot and we practice really hard,” said Madison Pennington, age 9.
The group of around 100 girls from five years of age to 18, says someone stole their black trailer. All of the group’s dance props were inside the trailer.
“Why would somebody take a trailer full of kids props? So it was just shock,” Tara Meinert, the owner and director of Studio 320 told FOX 4 News.
She said she discovered the trailer missing from behind her studio Friday morning. She frantically called police, because the competition was the next day.
But the fathers of some of the dancers came up with a plan.
“Then we went to the hardware store and pulled everything out of the hardware store and about eight dance dads met at his house and we knocked it out,” said Jason Ross.
“It was so cold we were using a hair dryer to dry the paint, so we could put more coats on it,” said Cody Pennington.
The fathers were still building well into the competition.
“These are on the sides and then we have one more that we can’t build yet, because it’s too tall to get through the door. So that has to be built right before we go on,” Ross explained.
Mienert said while these props can get the group through the weekend competition, it’s nothing like they had before. She said they worked long hours on those props worth a total of $2,500.
The dance studio has filed a police report with the Kearney, Missouri Police Department. If you have any information, please call the police department.
