diff --git a/assets/assetmissing/assetmissing.dance b/assets/assetmissing/assetmissing.dance
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6070b60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/assetmissing/assetmissing.dance
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "name" : "assetmissing",
+  "states" : ["idle","sit"],
+  "cycle" : 0.5,
+  "cyclic" : true,
+  "duration" : 1.0,
+  "steps" : [
+    // body, frontArm, backArm, headOffset, frontArmOffset, backArmOffset
+    [ "idle.1", "rotation?flipx", "rotation", [0, 0], [-6, 0], [0, 0] ]
+  ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/source/game/StarDanceDatabase.cpp b/source/game/StarDanceDatabase.cpp
index 3ad2277..2e81fe5 100644
--- a/source/game/StarDanceDatabase.cpp
+++ b/source/game/StarDanceDatabase.cpp
@@ -17,7 +17,12 @@ DanceDatabase::DanceDatabase() {
 }
 
 DancePtr DanceDatabase::getDance(String const& name) const {
-  return m_dances.get(name);
+  if (auto dance = m_dances.ptr(name))
+    return *dance;
+  else {
+    Logger::error("Invalid dance '{}', using default", name);
+    return m_dances.get("assetmissing");
+  }
 }
 
 DancePtr DanceDatabase::readDance(String const& path) {