Nearly 100 Costumes Stolen From San Jose Dance Theatre

San Jose Dance Theatre's costume storage facility was robbed on January 6. Nearly 100 costumes were stolen from the venue, ABC 7 reports.

"It's a really sad week for us" said Linda Hurkmans, the company's artistic director. "Thieves got in and stole countless of our precious ballet costumes."

Linda estimated the value of the labor and materials of what was stolen to be between $13,000 to $20,000. But because the tutus are so specialized, they have low resale value.

"This is just really heartbreaking for us to be hit by this. They're really precious and special to us," she said.

As a non-profit, the costumes are designed, created, and maintained by their two volunteer costume directors and a support team of talented volunteers. It will take all year to do the work needed to replace these stolen costumes and maintain the level of craftsmanship the company prides themselves on.

To donate to the company's GoFundMe campaign, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/san-jose-dance-theatre-costumes?qid=c50f2b3474d7fd1e79e3742d4163aad0.

Read more on ABC 7.

San José Dance Theatre is a classical ballet performance company and academy, specializing in offering high-quality productions and training for the community. The company actively advocates for nationwide access to classical performances, quality community engagement opportunities, and the development of the art-form across the country.

Since its inception in 1965, San José Dance Theatre has provided the community of San José and the greater San Francisco Bay area with quality performances. These performances feature professional artists, working in collaboration with young dancers to deliver outstanding productions. We have delighted local audiences for over five decades with performances including Peter and the Wolf, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast.