Dads rally together on Father's Day to rebuild dance team's stolen props before competition

Security video shows someone stealing a trailer from a Rockwall County dance studio this week.

That trailer had all of the studio’s props and supplies for an upcoming national competition, and there was concern these dancers wouldn’t be able to perform.

But on Father’s Day, a group of dance dads ended up coming to the rescue.

In Royse City, those dads spent their Father’s Day morning with a healthy dose of power tools and lumber. It was an all-hands effort to help their daughters take the stage after a major setback.

“I couldn’t believe it, honestly,” said Vicky Staton, owner of Dance & Arts Connection.

After months of practice, Staton’s dancers were set to head to Hot Springs, Arkansas, next weekend for a national competition.

When they showed up to rehearse on Friday, they got a nasty shock.

“We went to unload our props again for using them for the show and noticed that the trailer was gone,” said Staton.

Security footage from Wednesday night showed a truck drive onto the property and back up to the trailer where all the studio’s props were kept. Minutes later, the truck drove away, taking their stage supplies with it.

“It was despair,” Staton said of her reaction to the security footage. “Hurt for the kids; it’s all about the kids.”

Staton said she filed a police report, and the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation.

But the competition was just days away, and Dance & Arts Connection’s squad couldn’t perform their routine without those sets.

“There are things we can modify, but we can’t modify everything,” Staton said. “We have a group of dads that are the prop dads.”

The studio decided to put out a call for help, asking anyone who could donate materials and time to rebuild the stolen sets on Sunday morning.

The result?

“Everybody just kind of came together, and it was really humbling,” said Staton.

Other local dance studios donated pieces of their own sets to help Dance & Arts Connection recover.

Dozens of family members turned out to help bring the dancers’ stage back to life, painting, sawing, and shaping until they had remade enough pieces to allow the girls to perform again.

Dance & Arts Connection is back on track for nationals next weekend, this time feeling a whole lot of community support behind them.

“I was just really overcome with joy, and it’s just very much appreciated,” Staton said. “We’ve got two or three more days of painting and trying to finish up a few kinks, and we’ll go to Hot Springs!”

The Rockwall Sheriff’s Office says it’s reviewing security footage to try and identify the suspect in the trailer theft. Investigators say anyone with information should call their office at 972-204-7001.