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Its the opposite of a zero tolerance policy, Ellis said. 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 he found the work climate to be too sexualized to continue there. 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. At the New York event in 2012, Clarke said she turned down Lazzarinis request to join him in his hotel room. Man convicted of California rapes that attorney blamed on defendants twin Break the Floor is the largest producer of dance conventions in the world with three dance conventions, JUMP, NUVO and 24 Seven Dance . Sign in. Im not trying to bring this company down. Two of the choreographers facing allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour are listed as employees on the companys website. Lindsey said he eventually sent nude photos back when he was 17. Schaufeld stopped dancing years ago and has no plans to return to the studio. The next day Meismer was removed from NUVOs website and abruptly left the tour. Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said. Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. 324 Brickyard Rd, Dalton, Georgia, 30721, United States. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. The annual revenue of Break The Floor Productions varies between 25M and 100M. This is quite common in the industry and is used to cover the time and expense Studio Owners incur while organizing, registering and attending these events. Gil Stroming, who recently sold the company he founded more . But at Meismers house, they didnt discuss work. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. A post shared by Travis Wall (@traviswall). 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 . Once you get a positive response, make sure to find out about the interview process at Break The Floor Productions and prepare for tough questions. 15 reviews. - See all classes with helpful filters. (Please note: Some fall cities have a registration deadline of only 14 days prior). In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. 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. Will Conventions & Competitions be happening? High school student, convention boyfriend. 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.. Lavallee said Wall flew him around the United States to help him teach choreography to youth in a dance studio and other conventions. Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. BTFs website shows the company still employs Wall, who is currently scheduled to be part of a BTF-affiliated dance conventions 2021-2022 faculty. 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. 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. with photos from Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Specialties: Event Production Established in 2000. Due to the current climate, we realize the need for a clearer payment and refund policy. Warning: This article includes accounts of alleged sexual harassment that some readers could find distressing. Saying Pennsylvania is in the midst of a workforce crisis, Gov. Find top employees, contact details and business statistics at RocketReach. Contact Email info@breakthefloor.com. Lavallee said they exchanged numbers, and over a few texts and calls, he agreed to become Walls dance assistant. 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. It just felt like the next step was for us to be in contact and kiss one another.. Maples mother, however, told the news organizations that she saw the photos when they appeared on shared photo albums on their familys home computer. Headquarters. Many students endured inappropriate sexual advances or comments from their instructors, Uchida said. The relationship did not progress further physically, Lavallee said. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. Break The Floor Productions is part of the Home Improvement & Hardware Retail industry, and located in California, United States. At least four people removed from Break The Floor for alleged misconduct have continued to work around kids in other settings. 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. 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.. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. Awards ceremonies will be broadcast live immediately following the competition. Which in fact, he wasnt, Hudson said in his video, viewed over 6,300 times. He said he felt punished for dodging the alleged sexual advances. Ghislaine Maxwells appeals arguments mirror earlier claims [Winners] get the most attention and respect. We have many different teams and departments who are in need of someone just like you! agreed. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 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. Email. 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 dance spaces, students are in frequent and close contact with their teachers, spending long hours training and rehearsing with them. las vegas, nv. In 2019, Stroming quietly fired him after he posted, then quickly removed, a video of himself masturbating on Instagram, as the Star previously reported. The Company encompasses dance workshops, competitions, touring theatrical and video . A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. 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. National News | 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. Still, he accepted a sought-after opportunity to assist Meismer as they toured various studios and conventions together. 2.7 out of 5 stars. 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! At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings. The next day Meismer was removed from NUVOs website and abruptly left the tour. After this investigation published, BTF issued a statement saying it fired the choreographer following this incident because of concerns about this type of behaviour., After receiving questions regarding the allegations, Lazzarini sent text messages to three of the dancers who spoke to the Star, saying to one, I will do my best to be a better person and apologizing to another, Im so so sorry I ever made you feel uncomfortable.. About five years later, Lavallee, who now works as a professional dancer and choreographer, told his mother, Wendy, about everything that happened between him and the two older choreographers. And so Schaufeld stayed quiet. Lindsey alleges Lazzarini sent him nude photos of himself. 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 her first company event, when she was 17, she and Stroming had oral sex, she said. Flat-rate shipping on all physical store items anywhere in the US! 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 year or so later, shortly after her 18th birthday, Stroming flew the dancer to New York, where he told her he had lined up potentially career-launching dance auditions, she says. 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. How? 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. 3 min read. 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.. Start of main content. Lavallee said Walls disappearance left him feeling unmoored and now feels he was being groomed for a sexual relationship. Reviews from Break The Floor Productions employees about Break The Floor Productions culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. Discover jobs. Stroming declined repeated interview requests. Three of these dancers were under 18. 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. 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. Hudson said he was optimistic. Its headquarters is located at New York, New York, USA. He called me his convention boyfriend, recalled Hudson. We remain committed to these initiatives and will continue to learn and be better.. 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. Influential dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say. Lilli Maples had taken classes with Gabriel since she was 10 years old. Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. Break The Floor Productions. He said that he and Lonetree flirted with one another before the text in question. Three of these dancers were under 18. Lavallee also revealed to The Star that Wall gave him ecstasy that night, and we were doing hand massages, which just creeps me out now. Lavallee told the Star he invited a friend to come over to divert where he felt the night was going and a few months later, Wall ceased all communication with him and didnt show up for a scheduled teaching session. Our goal for this coming season is clear we are going to be holding all events, no matter what, GUARANTEED. Lawyers for Saradpon and the Buttons didn't respond to requests for comment. 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.