My resolve is unwavering. Famous Break the Floor instructors accused of sexual harassment | The Star 185.120.77.169 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. He said he must have passed out and has no recollection of sending the text. The incentive is a tax credit designed to help address complaints from school boards, police departments and hospitals about the growing . At her first company event, when she was 17, she and Stroming had oral sex, she said. 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. To surprise him, Hudson said Meismer would buy them matching outfits. A post shared by Break The Floor Productions (@breakthefloorprod). 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.. 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. In his first 10 days as CEO, he said four people were let go.. 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 . Break The Floor Productions | LinkedIn Lavallee called a friend to come over to divert where he said he felt the night was leading. <style>.g-image--loading{display:none;}</style> How much do Break The Floor Productions employees make? Check! In the months that followed, Ellis said he began accepting Lazzarinis advances, once making out in the choreographers hotel room during a work break. And five dancers are suing former Boston Ballet star Dusty Button and her husband, alleging sexual abuse and assault. Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say Gil Stroming, who recently sold the company he founded more . Each of them has since left the company amid allegations of sexual misconduct. At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 300,000 dancers annually, Break the Floor Productions is largely responsible for the transformation of dance entertainment. Read More. 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. 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. As I embark on a path of repentance, I will use the platform I have been given to do better in the future and to help others get it right too. Stroming picked up Lazzarini at the height of his fame to join the convention circuit, teaching hundreds of thousands of aspiring young dancers. A people person? 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. All rights reserved. He called me his convention boyfriend, recalled Hudson. Three of these dancers were under 18. . 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. Working at Break The Floor Productions | Glassdoor That same year, Lavallee alleges a 24-year-old dancer forced himself onto a 16-year-old Lavallee at a party. Break the Floor Productions - New York, NY - Yelp (The Star has not seen the now-deleted text from Lazzarini, but has spoken with two people with whom Clarke shared or discussed the message). The problems date back to the founding of Los Angeles-based Break The Floor Productions, whose alumni and faculty have danced on stage with Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, at the Oscars and Super Bowl . Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him. Now is the time for continued open dialogue, soul searching, and decisive action towards making amends. These include Viewport Meta, IPhone / Mobile Compatible, and LetsEncrypt. CODA is Break The Floor's innovative online system of style specific score sheets, video tutorials, data analytics and judge training. 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. Website. Lavallee said Walls disappearance left him feeling unmoored and now feels he was being groomed for a sexual relationship. Break The Floor Productions, LLC uses Remarketing with Google Analytics to advertise on third party sites to you after you visited our Site. The only reason I could think of was because we didnt take it further romantically.. Since then, Break The Floor has become one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing touring theatrical productions, dance workshops, photo and video production, corporate events and apparel. 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 . I took the word of this choreographer, and thought he was helping me build a dance career. One night, Schaufeld said, Wallace pushed him up against the wall of a hotel room they shared with a female assistant and forced oral sex on him. Phone Number 818.432.1234. 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. JUMP is proud to integrate CODA into all its competition. An ongoing investigation by the Star in partnership with the AP now has uncovered alleged sexual misconduct that stretches back to the dance companys early years, and involves Stroming himself. Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years for rape, sexual assault Schaufeld had fallen in love with tap at 7 years old, and assisting Wallace offered a chance to raise his profile and learn from one of the best. I took the word of this choreographer, and thought he was helping me build a dance career. 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. His mental health deteriorated. His picture and profile disappeared from the website, though there was no formal announcement of his departure. 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. Description. So I think I always kind of accepted it as, it is what it is, you cant do anything about it. . Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as young as 5, to packed hotel ballrooms across the U.S. and Canada for weekend workshops and competitions. www.floorproductionsllc.com. I felt very invalidated, Ellis said. She said once she turned 18, Gabriel, 29 at that time in 2017, invited her to his hotel room in a text message with a shirtless photo. I would not have stayed silent, said Wendy in a phone interview with the Star. Hours earlier, the Toronto-born teen performed before a panel of judges that included the choreographer, Nick Lazzarini, a luminary in the dance world and first-ever winner of the TV show So You Think You Can Dance.. But behind the bright lights and pulsing music, some dancers say they were sexually assaulted, harassed and manipulated by the companys powerful founder and famous teachers and choreographers, according to a joint investigation by The Associated Press and the Toronto Star. 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. This story was reported in partnership with the Toronto Star. 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. A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. 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. 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. Sami Levinbook - Director of Venue Sourcing - Break The Floor Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. My Break The Floor | Photo & Video Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. - See all classes with helpful filters. Seven sources say they saw Stroming interact with students in ways that appeared intimate and inappropriate. Many students endured inappropriate sexual advances or comments from their instructors, Uchida said. In 2019, according to multiple sources, Lazzarini accidentally posted to Instagram a video that appears to show himself masturbating. Lavallee said they exchanged numbers, and over a few texts and calls, he agreed to become Walls dance assistant. Its touring conventions will make numerous stops this year, from Miami to Vancouver and Calgary to Anchorage, Alaska. I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. 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. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. National News | However, Lavallee said Wall told him he had romantic feelings for him, and thought of him as his best friend. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 300,000 dancers annually, Break the Floor Productions is largely . A typical convention weekend lasts from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and features dance classes with some of the world's leading dance educators. Founders Gil Stroming. At her first company event, when she was 17, she and Stroming had oral sex, she said. He called me his convention boyfriend, recalled Hudson. We could have and should have done better. Still, he accepted a sought-after opportunity to assist Meismer as they toured various studios and conventions together. Of the eight allegations made, Wall is only implicated in the one featured in this article- and it happened nearly fourteen years ago. Six of them have agreed to go public with their allegations. 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. What if we plan on it and they are cancelled again? Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. He was inviting her to his hotel room. He referred reporters to his lawyer, who didnt respond. Break The Floor Competition Code - CODES By Break The Floor But he was uncomfortable when a dance teacher, Mark Meismer, in his early 30s, repeatedly told him how attractive he was. In dance studios, Hudson says Meismer would guide him into bathroom stalls for oral sex. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Click to reveal Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. . Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. Yet, I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love and thank them for their patience and grace. New York,NY . Our dance studio friends are finding it hard to plan for the new season. I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. Gabriel, when asked about Maples accusation, said in a written statement that he had been drinking heavily that night to control fears about serious health problems in his family. The Star has spoken to a friend of Lindseys who said they saw the texts and photos Lindsey and Lazzarini exchanged. 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 . Break The Floors Health & Safety Protocols can be found here: https://www.breakthefloor.com/safety. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. The only reason I could think of was because we didnt take it further romantically. An ongoing investigation by the Star in partnership with the AP now has uncovered alleged sexual misconduct that stretches back to the dance companys early years, and involves Stroming himself. I totally feel like I was a headache [for Stroming], Lonetree said. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, By Juliet Linderman, Martha Mendoza and Morgan Bocknek | Associated Press and Toronto Star. He worked at a convention in Minneapolis, Minn., where he alleges a 31-year-old Lazzarini groped him. She says she didnt attend any auditions, and returned home devastated. Which in fact, he wasnt, Hudson said in his video, viewed over 6,300 times. I was definitely inappropriate myself in a lot of ways, he told his staff. Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as . To surprise him, Hudson said Meismer would buy them matching outfits. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. What will the in-person events look like? Thank you. NUVO Dance Convention With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 300,000+ dancers annually, Break The Floor Productions is largely . Seven sources say they saw Stroming interact with students in ways that appeared intimate and inappropriate. Break The Floor Productions Pay & Benefits reviews - Indeed CONTACT - Break the Floor Productions Can a dancer do the scholarship audition through a virtual event? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Instinct Magazine 2023 - All Rights Reserved. Lavallee caught the attention of Wall an Emmy winner and So You Think You Can Dance runner-up who was judging his performance at a BTF competition in the summer of 2008, Lavallee said. Read More . 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. Ellis alleges that Stroming decided there was no sexual harassment because Lazzarini never touched his genitals. Break The Floor is a rapid growth company and are always looking for great new people to join our team! Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say The Open Database Of The Corporate World. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. Button taught at Radix conventions. If an event changes from in-person to virtual, the difference in fees will be . One said Lazzarini groped him through a hole in his pants. But the sexual climate behind closed doors is deplorable to me. Im not trying to bring this company down. Home - Break The Floor Break The Floor Productions. Button taught at Radix conventions. 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. 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. Employers / Post Job. Stroming did not respond to questions about Elliss allegations. Awards ceremonies will be broadcast live immediately following the competition. For aspiring young dancers like Clarke, the companys events are an almost mandatory stop if they want to pursue dancing professionally. To get anywhere, like here, you have to do whatever the teachers said, you know what I mean? Related Articles Gabriel, another famous dancer and choreographer, allegedly sent a nude photo on Snapchat to a 16-year-old dancer who says she was so horrified she threw her phone across the room. In summer 2018, about two years after Ellis approached Stroming about Lazzarinis conduct, 17-year-old Zeke Lindsey met Lazzarini and began taking his classes. 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. Warning: This article includes accounts of alleged sexual harassment that some readers could find distressing. It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted.. Please know, the Break The Floor team is committed to bringing you the safest, most organized and exceptional events in the dance industry. Break The Floor Productions LLC Company Profile | Los Angeles, CA 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. Influential dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say A few months later, without warning, Lavallee said, Wall cut off communication with him in the middle of one weekend and didnt show up to one of their scheduled teaching sessions. Break the Floor dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. 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. Lilli Maples had taken classes with Gabriel since she was 10 years old. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. BTF has undergone training and revised its code of conduct, the company said in a statement. Company reviews. Studio Owners, please contact us to confirm pricing, discounts, and incentives. He said he found the work climate to be too sexualized to continue there. Alumni and faculty have danced on stage with Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, at the Oscars and the Super Bowl. Take a look at our available positions: 15 reviews. We are truly heartbroken that anyone has been subject to inappropriate behaviour by any person associated with Break The Floor, the statement read. We and our third party vendors, like Google, use first party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) to inform, optimize and serve ads based . Meismer didn't respond to repeated requests for comment. That night, they had sex in his apartment. Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said. Six dancers, including Clarke, allege Lazzarini subjected them to unwanted sexual advances. I have dedicated my life to creating happiness and joy in this world through dance and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have caused anyone to feel sad or hurt, he said. Follow. Looking back, Lindsey feels he had been groomed. A post shared by Travis Wall (@traviswall). We are working on our competition entry limits for each event and will announce them soon. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. 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. National News | 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. Hicks said he apologized to Lonetree and was reprimanded by Stroming. Our model gets smarter over time as more people share salaries on Glassdoor.
