Who's who in the break the floor investigation. 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. In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. We could have and should have done better, he said. 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. Read More . Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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. National News | Emmy winning choreographer Travis Wall has been suspended from Break the Floor dance company's traveling tours amid an investigation into an accusation of sexually inappropriate behavior made . Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break The Floor published a new code of conduct. I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. To surprise him, Hudson said Meismer would buy them matching outfits. Location. A post shared by Break The Floor Productions (@breakthefloorprod). 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.. If the in-person event is unable to be held, studios and dancers may choose to: Attend the event virtually (for a discounted rate). Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. National News | Break The Floor is a rapid growth company and are always looking for great new people to join our team! Sexual abuse pervades the dance world, according to child advocates and industry leaders. Hicks, who was working as the convention announcer, was in his early 30s. 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. At BTF, this contact led to physical boundaries being blurred. 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. Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break The Floor published a new code of conduct. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Instinct Magazine 2023 - All Rights Reserved. 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. (Please note: Some fall cities have a registration deadline of only 14 days prior). 10 Mar, 2022, 01.17 PM IST. I just knew after that the company was bad news and I wanted out.. 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. The relationship did not progress further physically, Lavallee said. The AP and the Star haven't seen these messages because Maples said theyd been deleted. orlando, fl. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n $(document).ready(function() {\n $('.SA_response-container').click(function() {\n $('.SA_hidden', this).toggle();\n });\n });\n ","wallHtmlBody":". 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. I cant tell you how many times I thought about writing to Travis (Wall). Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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. Break The Floor Productions is a private company. Stroming declined repeated interview requests. Break The Floor hosts conventions in cities across North America, putting on events in hotel ballrooms every weekend over the course of a six-month season. Receive a full refund within 7 business days of the event. 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 . His picture and profile disappeared from the website, though there was no formal announcement of his departure. We view this situation as an opportunity to expand our vision to bring the excitement of dance to everyone, all over the world, no matter the circumstance. Lavallee said he made it clear he was not interested in a sexual relationship. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. In 2019, Stroming quietly fired him after he posted, then quickly removed, a video of himself masturbating on Instagram, as the Star previously reported. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. Start of main content. But the secret ate away at him. We are committed to making studios and families feel confident and secure when registering for our events. Ellis recalled that on the last night of the dance season in May 2017, when Ellis was 21, Lazzarini kissed him while they were out at a club with other staff members. 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. Upload your resume. 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 . 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. A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him. Six of them have agreed to go public with their allegations. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. 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. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. 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. june 24-july 1. the venetian/palazzo. Headquarters. I would not have stayed silent, said Wendy in a phone interview with the Star. 5446 Satsuma Ave, N Hollywood, California, 91601, United States. 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. 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. Lavallee said they exchanged numbers, and over a few texts and calls, he agreed to become Walls dance assistant. National News | 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. I didnt know how inappropriate that was.. Break the Floor Productions LLC operates as a dance entertainment company. 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. 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. We are truly heartbroken that anyone has been subject to inappropriate behaviour by any person associated with Break The Floor, the statement read. Studio Owners, please contact us to confirm pricing, discounts, and incentives. Legal Name Break The Floor Productions. 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. New App with lots of helpful features. Emmy-winning choreographer, So You Think You Can Dance breakout star, and Shaping Sounds co-founder Travis Wall has been removed from a tour with Break The Floor dance company as allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior that have surfaced are being investigated (via The Toronto Star). All rights reserved. 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. Josh Shapiro said he will propose a three-year incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, police officers and nurses when the Democrat unveils his budget plan on Tuesday. Break The Floor (@breakthefloor) on TikTok | 2M Likes. If an event changes from in-person to virtual, the difference in fees will be refunded within 7 business days of the event. Lonetree said he recounted the alleged exchange to Stroming. 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. 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 . We remain committed to these initiatives and will continue to learn and be better.. National News | Email. Description. Touring to 16 amazing cities across America and Canada, Break The Floor's SUMMER JAM is a full workshop and competition experience featuring a creative mix of all BTF tours: Jump, NUVO, 24 Seven & Radix! 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. Our model gets smarter over time as more people share salaries on Glassdoor. 324 Brickyard Rd, Dalton, Georgia, 30721, United States. 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.

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