While for some of the dancers in this story the sexual interactions were, at the time, consensual, they now feel a power imbalance pressured them into relationships with leaders of the dance world who are many years older than them. 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. 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. When I began teaching dance, I did so with the singular goal of helping individuals discover, develop, and express their truest selves. The only reason I could think of was because we didnt take it further romantically. The Star reviewed the text messages. A post shared by Travis Wall (@traviswall). The Break The Floor faculty can't wait to dance with you! Allegations and Scandal Update. At least four people removed from Break The Floor for alleged misconduct have continued to work around kids in other settings. And everybody strives for that, obviously, because that leads to more opportunity and attention from the faculty, said Uchida. On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. Break the Floor has a fervent following. Updated: This article has been updated to include a comment that Break The Floor provided after the article published. Finally, while some of what is being said about me is inaccurate or mischaracterized, there is enough truth in their stories to make me feel ashamed and remorseful. Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as . Stroming picked up Lazzarini at the height of his fame to join the convention circuit, teaching hundreds of thousands of aspiring young dancers.
Break The Floor Productions: Contact Details and Business Profile Soon after, Lavallee, then 16, attended a hotel-room party in California where he said Wall, who was around 20, gave him crystal meth a highly addictive stimulant so he could stay awake for his flight back home to Arizona. Gil Stroming founded the excellent company named Break The Floor Productions in 1999 and has since grown it into one of the most famous dance entertainment companies in the world. Follow Break The Floor Productions on Instagram. Looking back, Lindsey feels he had been groomed. orlando, fl. Lets be responsible journalists, shall we? 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. And five dancers are suing former Boston Ballet star Dusty Button and her husband, alleging sexual abuse and assault. Check! 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. Break The Floor Productions LLC. In dance studios, Hudson says Meismer would guide him into bathroom stalls for oral sex. Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break The Floor published a new code of conduct. His picture and profile disappeared from the website, though there was no formal announcement of his departure. . The AP and the Star havent seen these messages because Maples said theyd been deleted. - See show line-ups. And whats egregious about seeing it in the context of conventions is that it happens to kids.
Break The Floor Productions Pay & Benefits reviews - Indeed I was definitely inappropriate myself in a lot of ways, he told his staff. Stroming was three years older, she said, a magnetic 19-year-old running the whole show. Lavallee said Walls disappearance left him feeling unmoored and now feels he was being groomed for a sexual relationship. Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said.
Receive a full refund within 7 business days of the event. California teacher who gave birth to child fathered by student hit with another sexual abuse lawsuit It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted.. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. Dancers can take workshop classes at home or the studio may organize a watch and dance party at their studio. 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. Lindsey said he eventually sent nude photos back when he was 17. The alleged victims story is shaky at best. Hicks, meanwhile, continued to work at RADIX every season, through 2021. One dancer said she met Stroming when she was a 16-year-old high school junior attending one of Break the Floors first events with her parents. At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings.
Break The Floor Productions Company Profile: Funding & Investors Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. Thats what Gary Schaufeld says happened to him. 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.
Shapiro aims tax break at police officers, teachers, nurses 15 reviews. In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. Location. The next morning, Stroming left abruptly for Las Vegas and handed her $40 for a cab ride back to the airport. Your IP: I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. In 2019, Stroming quietly fired him after he posted, then quickly removed, a video of himself masturbating on Instagram, as the Star previously reported. Susan Kao illustration with photos from Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images, John Lamparski/Getty Images, Broderick Baumann and ngel Vasquez, VIDEO OF BTF EVENT, OCT. 14, 2018: NICO LONETREE/@NICOGOOFS. 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. A Toronto-born teen alleged a famous choreographer propositioned her for sex just hours after judging her at a 2012 Break the Floor convention. Founders Gil Stroming. Any claims to the contrary are simply untrue., Nick Lazzarini: My Apology and Promise to Do Better. Attendees squeeze into small ballrooms where choreographers teach classes. 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. 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. He won the best dancer title in 2014 and worked for BTF for two years as a dance assistant, travelling across Canada and the United States. We could have and should have done better. We have many different teams and departments who are in need of someone just like you! Lavalee stated that he felt he was being groomed for a sexual relationship and that he was now being punished for dodging the alleged sexual advances. The televised dance shows brought fame to dancers Nick Lazzarini, Travis Wall and Misha Gabriel, who became big name attractions as Break The Floor instructors. Greater Los Angeles Area Event Planner Break the Floor Productions Jan 2012 - Aug 2019 7 years 8 months. 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. 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. 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. but trust us. Write a review. Operator of dance entertainment company committed to creating a dance culture. Payment Terms for the 2020-2021 Season: The registration deadline will remain 30 days prior to the events, however payment will not need to be made until 14 days prior. Lilli Maples had taken classes with Gabriel since she was 10 years old. In the months that followed, Ellis said he began accepting Lazzarinis advances, once making out in the choreographers hotel room during a work break. Two-time Emmy-winning choreographer and So You Think You Can Dance star Travis Wall has been taken off of the Break the Floor dance company's tours after allegations . 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. 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. Yet, I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love and thank them for their patience and grace. My resolve is unwavering. Ellis alleges that Stroming decided there was no sexual harassment because Lazzarini never touched his genitals. How much do Break The Floor Productions employees make? Stroming declined repeated interview requests. Read More. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The ultimate goal is winning first place under the spotlight at the annual Dance Awards. Hicks said he apologized to Lonetree and was reprimanded by Stroming. In an interview earlier this year with the AP and the Star, Wallace denied Schaufelds allegations and said nothing sexual or physical ever transpired between them, though he said he remembered having an inappropriate attraction to Schaufeld. Schaufeld stopped dancing years ago and has no plans to return to the studio. Its touring conventions will make numerous stops this year, from Miami to Vancouver and Calgary to Anchorage, Alaska.
Break the Floor dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say What will the in-person events look like?
After he turned 18, he engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini. Description. Sign in. Break the Floor (who is bringing in a third party to launch an investigation into the accusation lobbied against Wall) said in a story on the companys Instagram page on Friday Travis will not be traveling with BTF until weve had the opportunity for a third-party to look into these allegations,going on to say We take this very seriously and will take further action if necessary.For his own part, Wall told the Star through his publicist thatthe accusations against me are false, but has not commented on on being cut from Break the Floors tour due to the accusations. Three of these dancers were under 18. CODA is Break The Floor's innovative online system of style specific score sheets, video tutorials, data analytics and judge training. National News |
Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say - Yahoo! News Breaking the silence: Dancers accuse choreographers of sexual Sexual abuse pervades the dance world, according to child advocates and industry leaders. Click to reveal Refund Policy for the 2020-2021 Season: If an in-person event is unable to be held on the originally advertised dates, and the studio decides not to attend the event virtually, Break The Floor will issue a FULL REFUND within 7 days of the scheduled event date. july 8-15. hyatt regency orlando. In a series of text messages between Schaufeld and Wallace, reviewed by the AP and the Star, Schaufeld laid out his accusations and Wallace said that although he couldnt remember anything, he couldnt be more sorry.. Photos: Break the Floor, Joe Corrigan/Getty Images, Jason Kempin/Getty Images, Beau Campbell, Miss Toto Rodgers, KiLeigh Williams, ngel Vasquez, Lee Gumbs, Broderick Baumann. JUMP, NUVO and 24 Seven will host a virtual event, specific to the event and city, and broadcast from our studios in Los Angeles. Founded Date 1999. Company instructors have appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Dance Moms and So You Think You Can Dance. When COVID-19 lockdowns suspended in-person workshops, Break the Floor enlisted social media superstar Charli DAmelio, whose TikTok account has around 10.5 billion likes, to record instructional videos. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. Of the eight allegations made, Wall is only implicated in the one featured in this article- and it happened nearly fourteen years ago. The OFFICIAL TikTok for Break the Floor Productions! He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. 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. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. They typically end with parents on the sidelines shooting photos of their beaming children in leotards and makeup, striking poses alongside famous choreographers and dancers. I apologize and sincerely regret that my actions have hurt people I cherish or has broken their trust., In a later response, after being presented with an additional accusation that he sent nude photos to a teenage dancer, Lazzarini added: I have never subjected anyone to unwanted sexual advances. Find salaries. As a student I was in inappropriate relationships with teachers, and vice versa, and just looking back I was like, oh wow, I think a lot of us dont even realize at first the power that we have in the dance world.. The Open Database Of The Corporate World. Email. But at Meismers house, they didnt discuss work.
Travis Wall Removed From Dance Tour After Misconduct Allegation To get a job at Break The Floor Productions, browse currently open positions and apply for a job near you. He said he must have passed out and has no recollection of sending the text. Break The Floor Productions, LLC uses Remarketing with Google Analytics to advertise on third party sites to you after you visited our Site. Lavallee said he did not tell Stroming or BTF staff about what he alleges happened with either Wall or the other choreographer, saying he thought his concerns would not be taken seriously.
Break The Floor Productions - Tech Stack, Apps, Patents & Trademarks Break The Floor Productions, LLC is one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing touring theatrical productions, dance workshops, photo and video production, corporate events and apparel. Former DancerPalooza instructor, Eric Saradpon, has been charged by the Riverside County District Attorney with perpetrating lewd acts on minors in a private dance studio, and is awaiting trial. An Ottawa dancer working as an assistant for the company said the same choreographer groped him in public. His mental health deteriorated.
Famous Break the Floor instructors accused of sexual harassment | The Star Glassdoor provides our best prediction for total pay in today's job market, along with other types of pay like cash bonuses, stock bonuses, profit sharing, sales commissions, and tips. And whats egregious about seeing it in the context of conventions is that it happens to kids. His representatives at the MSA Agency also said they had no comment on his behalf. Contact. At Break the Floor Productions, we are committed to creating a dance culture rooted in excellence and focused on the well-being of our dancers and staff.
Break The Floor Productions - opradancewear CONTACT - Break the Floor Productions A post shared by MYLES LAVALLE (@myleslavallee). Break The Floor Productions 5446 Satsuma Ave North Hollywood, CA 91601 jam . We remain committed to these initiatives and will continue to learn and be better.. Thats what Gary Schaufeld says happened to him. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I totally feel like I was a headache [for Stroming], Lonetree said. For Myles Lavallee, that blurred student-teacher relationship began with BTF instructor Travis Wall. Employers / Post Job. A post shared by Break The Floor Productions (@breakthefloorprod). He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. Break the Floor founder, celebrity dance instructors face sexual misconduct allegations as the prominent company's crisis deepens. Button taught at Radix conventions. Stroming was allegedly involved in a series of inappropriate relationships with students of the dance program he was running, according to more than a dozen former staff and students. Another dancer who says he reported his harassment to BTF management is Patrick Ellis, 26, from Baltimore, Md. Check! Dancers say leading company bred culture of, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early, Dancers say leading company bred culture of sex, silence, California teacher who gave birth to child fathered by student hit with another sexual abuse lawsuit, Ghislaine Maxwells appeals arguments mirror earlier claims, Man convicted of California rapes that attorney blamed on defendants twin, San Jose firefighter claims sexual abuse, racism, swastikas drove her out, Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years for rape, sexual assault. Travis has made some great dance routines and is a great dancer.
My Break The Floor | Photo & Video Break the Floor offers dance workshops, contests, touring theatrical productions, picture and video production, corporate events . Break The Floor Productions is actively using 50 technologies for its website, according to BuiltWith. (US Only) 165.8K Followers. But it all blew up when Beacham's husband, Kirk, contacted Gil Stroming, owner of Break the Floor Productions, about why the company would cancel the studio's registration to the Jump and Nuvo . The biggest problem facing the dance industry (and everything, quite frankly) is uncertainty. He said that he and Lonetree flirted with one another before the text in question. Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him.
Floor Productions - Overview, News & Competitors | ZoomInfo.com 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 didn't respond to the specific allegations.
Lawyers for Saradpon and the Buttons didnt respond to requests for comment. Emmy winning choreographer Travis Wall has been cut from Break the Floor dance company's traveling tours amid an investigation into an accusation of . On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. The combination of hyper-sexual dance content and the close contact between adult teachers and the young dancers creates an atmosphere ripe for abuse, said Jamal Story, a professional dancer who is co-chair of the National Dance Committee for The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Jackie Stroming Email & Phone Number - Break Th.. | ZoomInfo 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. But after speaking with the AP and the Star in February, Hudson went public and shared his experience in an emotional Instagram video, without naming Meismer. 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. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. 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. The new owner, Russell Geyser, said the allegations have nothing to do with the current company, and that people involved with purported misconduct no longer work for Break The Floor. His mental health deteriorated. Which in fact, he wasnt, Hudson said in his video, viewed over 6,300 times. Contact Email
[email protected]. In dance spaces, students are in frequent and close contact with their teachers, spending long hours training and rehearsing with them. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. 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. Reviews from Break The Floor Productions employees about Pay & Benefits. In his first 10 days as CEO, he said four people were let go.. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors. Break the Floor is the largest producer of dance conventions in the world with three dance conventions, JUMP, NUVO and 24 Seven Dance .