But at Meismers house, they didnt discuss work. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, By Juliet Linderman, Martha Mendoza and Morgan Bocknek | Associated Press and Toronto Star. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. Ellis alleges that Stroming decided there was no sexual harassment because Lazzarini never touched his genitals. But in January, as the AP and the Star were investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against him and others involved in the company, Stroming announced that he had sold Break the Floor and stepped down as CEO. After Maples showed the screenshots to friends who shared them on social media, Gabriel sent her a message threatening to ruin her career, she said. Receive a full refund within 7 business days of the event. Who would give someone Ecstacy in their parents home? Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. A Star investigation has found allegations of widespread sexual harassment and predatory behaviour by BTF coaches over their younger students, where dancers say their complaints of inappropriate conduct have been dismissed by the companys owner, letting the problem fester for years. They provide amazing opportunities. This option would also allow the dancers or studios attending the virtual workshop to still come to the venue for the competition portion of the event. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. The problems date back to the founding of Los Angeles-based Break The Floor Productions; as the company has grown into an industry powerhouse, its leaders perpetuated a culture of sex and silence, according to interviews with dozens of former and current staff and students. Break The Floors Health & Safety Protocols can be found here: https://www.breakthefloor.com/safety. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Not saying it definitely never happened, but I need more proof before Im willing to label Wall or anyone else a predator. Hudson is now a famous dancer, with a resume that spans mega tours with Pink, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue, and appearances in more than a dozen films including La La Land and FAME. For 17 years, he kept to himself about what happened with Meismer. Lavallee charges that in 2008, Wall made sexual advances on him when the two stayed at Lavalees parents home overnight while teaching a dance course close by. He said he must have passed out and has no recollection of sending the text. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 300,000+ dancers annually, Break The Floor Productions is largely . Due to the LA lockdown, it took us a little longer to organize. It banned inviting students to hotel rooms and said instructors shouldnt call students their daughter or son. And it encourages discretion online regarding Religion, Social Justice, Discrimination, Politics, Love and Romance, Abuse, Mental Health, Bullying, and Terrorism., The new code of conduct also says educators are considered mandated reporters regarding suspected child abuse: If you witness anything concerning, it is your duty to report it to the appropriate authorities.. She says she didnt attend any auditions, and returned home devastated. Founded Date 1999. Marci A. Hamilton, a University of Pennsylvania professor who founded CHILD USA and is the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect its Children, said dance is one of the last forums where adults have unsupervised access to younger students. Gil Stroming, who recently sold the company he founded more . In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. We remain committed to these initiatives and will continue to learn and be better.. October 25 2021 11:10 AM EST. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Thank you. Sexual abuse pervades the dance world, according to child advocates and industry leaders. Gil Stromings company capitalized on all of that studio growth, an industry that reached about $4 billion in value by 2021, employing more than 120,000 people, according to market research from analysts at IbisWorld. Several individuals have recently stepped forward to publicly express their feelings of hurt or betrayal based on interactions they had with me between 2012 and 2020. In the text conversation, Hicks told Lonetree, I have a blow job with your name on it. Lonetree brushed off Hickss propositions over text, the texts show. And whats egregious about seeing it in the context of conventions is that it happens to kids. About two decades ago, when she was a dance teacher accompanying her students to a Break the Floor event, she said she refused Stromings $500 offer to join him in his hotel room. Six of them have agreed to go public with their allegations. The Star reviewed the text messages. july 8-15. hyatt regency orlando. confront my own shortcomings, I vow to take every step necessary to turn them into the very strengths I will use to help empower and protect others. I totally feel like I was a headache [for Stroming], Lonetree said. Allegations of sexual misconduct first hit the dance company in October, when the Toronto Starrevealed allegationsof widespread sexual harassment and predatory behavior by Break the Floor instructors. Break The Floor Productions is a private company. - And more! Russell Geyser is the new CEO of Break the Floor Productions. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. He was a teen in 2004, assisting a successful tap dancer named Danny Wallace, who wasnt with Break the Floor at the time, but would go on to run one of its subsidiary conventions. The OFFICIAL TikTok for Break the Floor Productions! As for the other allegation from the then 16-year-old, Gabriel denied sending the photo, saying he would never engage in inappropriate behavior that would ever lead to sending something like this to a teen. So I think I always kind of accepted it as, it is what it is, you cant do anything about it. . By the mid-2000s, dance exploded into the mainstream with the debuts of popular television shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. It was discussed by everyone, but was talked about as more of an inconvenience than something that absolutely should never have been happening in the first place, said Uchida, who alleges in 2015 he had a six-month consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini when he was 19 and Lazzarini was 31. LOS ANGELES Every year, one of the worlds leading dance competition companies sells the dream of Hollywood fame to hundreds of thousands of ambitious young dancers hoping to launch careers on television, in movies and on stage. Lonetree said he was soon after moved to a different convention, which he said made him feel like he had to start over and establish himself with a new team. Out So You Think You Can Dance winner and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Travis Wall has been cut from dance company Break the Floor's tours following an . 5446 Satsuma Ave, N Hollywood, California, 91601, United States. Stroming picked up Lazzarini at the height of his fame to join the convention circuit, teaching hundreds of thousands of aspiring young dancers. How much do Break The Floor Productions employees make? I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. Break The Floor Productions is actively using 50 technologies for its website, according to BuiltWith. On all orders over $100! One dance instructor said she warns the children and teens she brings to conventions today to be watchful and aware of the potential for abuse of power. Dancers repeatedly described feeling sexualized in their learning space, and multiple dancers said they felt leered at by some choreographers who would message them compliments on their appearance, sometimes immediately following classes. Lawyers for Saradpon and the Buttons didn't respond to requests for comment. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 100,000+ dancers annually, Break The Floor Productions is largely . Check! That dancer now works for BTF as a choreographer. At her first company event, when she was 17, she and Stroming had oral sex, she said. In addition to competitions with cash prizes, Break The Floor conventions which cost between around $200 to $350 per student offer dozens of workshops, under strobing lights and thumping music. On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. Its the opposite of a zero tolerance policy, Ellis said. In a written statement, he told the AP and Star, I have been very upfront that when I first started the company at 19, over 20 years ago, there were issues of inappropriateness. He didnt respond to the specific allegations. Break the Floor Productions is one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing touring theatrical productions, dance workshops, photo and video production, corporate events and apparel. Any claims to the contrary are simply untrue., Nick Lazzarini: My Apology and Promise to Do Better. las vegas, nv. The problems date back to the founding of Los Angeles-based Break The Floor Productions; as the company has grown into an industry powerhouse, its leaders perpetuated a culture of sex and silence . The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. The AP and the Star spoke to the dancers father, who said that in the years following, she told him about these sexual interactions with Stroming, which left her deeply upset. In dance spaces, students are in frequent and close contact with their teachers, spending long hours training and rehearsing with them. This story was reported in partnership with the Toronto Star. Im not a monster but I feel like one, Wallace wrote, adding that he has a lot of hazy memories and a huge list of regrets/mistakes from that time period. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Discover jobs. Teens who win titles at BTF events are invited back to work on the convention circuit as dance assistants for choreographers on the BTF roster, known internally as faculty.. Hudson said he was optimistic. Clarke was competing that July 2012 day at a New York City event put on by Break the Floor, a prominent company that tours Canada, the United States and Mexico hosting dance schools and putting on performances led by elite dancers and choreographers known from Broadway, film and television. He was inviting her to his hotel room. While not all of the complainants in this story were involved with Break the Floor at the time of the alleged incidents, the instructors and executives accused of wrongdoing have played key roles in growing the companys revenue and popularity. Based on the Toronto Stars expose, Eight former staff and students allege BTF employees, famous in the dance world, initiated sexual conversations, propositioned them for sex, sent them nude photos, sexually harassed them at work or engaged in sexual relationships with them.Myles Lavallee (one of the students) has accused Wall of starting to groom him when Lavallee was just sixteen years old and Wall was approximately twenty years old. - See show line-ups. - See all classes with helpful filters. Seven sources say they saw Stroming interact with students in ways that appeared intimate and inappropriate. Wall did not respond to detailed questions sent by The Star, and said only the accusations against me are false, in a statement through a publicist. At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings. Headquarters Regions Greater Los Angeles Area, West Coast, Western US. I didnt really understand why communication was cut off. Break The Floor Productions is part of the Home Improvement & Hardware Retail industry, and located in California, United States. California teacher who gave birth to child fathered by student hit with another sexual abuse lawsuit For aspiring young dancers like Clarke, the companys events are an almost mandatory stop if they want to pursue dancing professionally. All of these sources spoke on the condition of anonymity in fear of retaliation and damage to their careers in the tight-knit professional dance community. A post shared by Travis Wall (@traviswall). We will be limiting attendance, working with our venue partners to increase ballroom space and implementing health procedures and guidelines to be able to offer the safest environment for our attendees. Of these sources, four say he sometimes brought young Break the Floor participants to parties or company events, where they were introduced as his girlfriend. In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. Thats what Gary Schaufeld says happened to him. Break The Floor Productions 6555 Barton Ave., Ste. Looking to travel? He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. We could have and should have done better. break the floor Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. Every year, one of the world's leading dance competition companies sells the dream of Hollywood fame to hundreds of thousands of ambitious young dancers hoping to launch careers on television, in movies and on stage. His picture and profile disappeared from the website, though there was no formal announcement of his departure. Jeremy Hudson, now a professional dancer, came of age on the convention circuit and won Outstanding Dancer of the Year at the first JUMP Nationals in 2004. join our mailing list For Myles Lavallee, that blurred student-teacher relationship began with BTF instructor Travis Wall. The incentive is a tax credit designed to help address complaints from school boards, police departments and hospitals about the growing . How? Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16.