Death could not tear Giselle apart from her lover Duke Albrecht. Her story, recounted in the eponymous ballet, tells of how even after death, her spirit defended him from a group of evil spirits called the Wilis. The Wilis weren’t powerful enough to kill Albrecht. Actually, they weren’t powerful enough to save their own statue.

A statue of one of the Wilis has stood in the courtyard of the Montgomery Theater since it was first commissioned in 1979. Over the years, it has had a difficult time there—it was stolen once and toppled over. Still, the statue persevered, and the city finally decided to relocate it indoors, in the San Jose Center for Performing Arts, in time for the opening of Giselle this October.

Too late. The statue is missing, and it has been missing for a while. The last time it was seen was two months ago. While the police continue their search for the statue, the city is making contingency plans as well. They are hoping that the artist, Julie Lord, saved her original mold so that the sculpture can be recreated. If not, they will have to make do with Lord’s second work, a 600 lb. statue of Albrecht which still stands in the Montgomery Theater courtyard.

One reason is that Albrecht weighed considerably more than the Wili, who was only 200 lbs. Another possibility is that the spirit Giselle is still looking out for her lover from beyond the grave.
Read More at the Mercury News.