Lavallee said Walls disappearance left him feeling unmoored and now feels he was being groomed for a sexual relationship. And five dancers are suing former Boston Ballet star Dusty Button and her husband, alleging sexual abuse and assault. Can a dancer do the scholarship audition through a virtual event? 24 Seven Dance Convention Break The Floor Productions is part of the Home Improvement & Hardware Retail industry, and located in California, United States. 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. In 2019, according to multiple sources, Lazzarini accidentally posted to Instagram a video that appears to show himself masturbating. CODA is Break The Floor's innovative online system of style specific score sheets, video tutorials, data analytics and judge training. Who is Floor Productions. Break The Floors Health & Safety Protocols can be found here: https://www.breakthefloor.com/safety. 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. Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. 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. 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. At the New York event in 2012, Clarke said she turned down Lazzarinis request to join him in his hotel room. Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. 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 . The biggest problem facing the dance industry (and everything, quite frankly) is uncertainty. Dancers say leading company bred culture of sex, silence - The Mercury News A Toronto-born teen alleged a famous choreographer propositioned her for sex just hours after judging her at a 2012 Break the Floor convention. 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 . Schaufeld stopped dancing years ago and has no plans to return to the studio. agreed. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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). Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as . 10 Mar, 2022, 01.17 PM IST. Will Conventions & Competitions be happening? Whenever I worked with a struggling student, I always reassured them that confronting our shortcomings is not a showing of weakness, it is the beginning of strength. As I Break The Floor LIVE | Virtual Dance Convention - YouTube 24Seven 2021. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. In dance studios, Hudson says Meismer would guide him into bathroom stalls for oral sex. Lavallee said they exchanged numbers, and over a few texts and calls, he agreed to become Walls dance assistant. The company currently specializes in the Entertainment area. Thousands of hopefuls cram into hotel ballrooms across the continent for the chance to be discovered by a top choreographer and catapulted into the spotlight. 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. After he turned 18, he engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini. A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. Location. Shapiro aims tax break at police officers, teachers, nurses In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. But the sexual climate behind closed doors is deplorable to me. Operator of dance entertainment company committed to creating a dance culture. 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. . Break the Floor Productions LLC operates as a dance entertainment company. - See show line-ups. Break The Floor - Apps on Google Play And so Schaufeld stayed quiet. I loved his reality show All the Right Moves & had a crush on Travis, if true makes my crush go away. 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. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. I dont know in which ways more to be accountable, in which ways more to apologize, or in which ways more to make it right, Hicks said. Nico Lonetree (left) and Myles Lavallee are among eight dancers who allege they were subjected to sexual harassment or predatory behaviour from staff of the prominent dance company, Break the Floor. Break The Floor Productions. Our goal for this coming season is clear we are going to be holding all events, no matter what, GUARANTEED. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. 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. 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. Mega dance competition company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say Influential dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say For more than 30 years, Russell has been CEO of numerous companies and run a portfolio of investments in theatrical film production, sports lending, film finance and lending, media buying, and . 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He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. 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. A typical convention weekend lasts from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and features dance classes with some of the world's leading dance educators. 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. Company Type For Profit. Break The Floor Productions is a Music & Music Related Services, and Media & Internet company located in New York, New York with $2.40 Million in revenue and 62 employees. Hicks, who was working as the convention announcer, was in his early 30s. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. 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. 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. NUVO Dance Convention I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. National News | Looking to travel? With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 100,000+ dancers annually, Break The Floor Productions is largely . Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. Break the Floor Productions is one of the worlds preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing touring theatrical productions, dance workshops, photo and video production, corporate events and apparel. Your IP: COMPETITION INFO - JUMP Dance Convention 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. 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. Button taught at Radix conventions. 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 . Hundreds of studios and schools from smaller communities bring teams of dancers to the events, branded by Stroming as JUMP, NUVO, 24seven, RADIX and DancerPalooza. 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. The relationship did not progress further physically, Lavallee said. Break the Floor Productions - NYC-ARTS October 25 2021 11:10 AM EST. Through transparency, integrity, and professionalism, we believe we can become a model throughout the dance industry. The only reason I could think of was because we didnt take it further romantically. Man convicted of California rapes that attorney blamed on defendants twin break the floor: Latest News & Videos, Photos about break the floor 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. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. 165.8K Followers. 24 SEVEN Dance Convention is a dance workshop and competition that tours to 27 cities in the United States each season. And whats egregious about seeing it in the context of conventions is that it happens to kids. The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. His mental health deteriorated. Three of these dancers were under 18. In dance spaces, students are in frequent and close contact with their teachers, spending long hours training and rehearsing with them. He said he felt punished for dodging the alleged sexual advances. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors. Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break The Floor published a new code of conduct. 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. They provide amazing opportunities. Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him. I then felt very embarrassed. 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. Not saying it definitely never happened, but I need more proof before Im willing to label Wall or anyone else a predator. Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). Take a look at our available positions: It was founded by Gil Stroming (Tap Dancer) in 1999, and today it is one of the most important dance companies in the world, encompassing traveling theater productions, dance workshops, photo and video production, corporate clothing events, real estate production rental studios, software . Film Production. 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. 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. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. Break The Floor Productions - Tech Stack, Apps, Patents & Trademarks The Break The Floor faculty can't wait to dance with you! 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. Emmy winning choreographer Travis Wall has been cut from Break the Floor dance company's traveling tours amid an investigation into an accusation of . 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. A post shared by Break The Floor Productions (@breakthefloorprod). Who would give someone Ecstacy in their parents home? 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. At her first company event, when she was 17, she and Stroming had oral sex, she said. Hicks said he sought therapy and a sexual treatment course in an effort to hold myself accountable and also deal with the feelings of feeling like I had wronged him in that way when that was never my intention. Still, he accepted a sought-after opportunity to assist Meismer as they toured various studios and conventions together. Snapshot; Why Join Us . Three of them say these alleged advances happened when they were under 18. But he was uncomfortable when a dance teacher, Mark Meismer, in his early 30s, repeatedly told him how attractive he was. An exclusive Star investigation has found allegations of widespread sexual harassment and predatory behaviour by Break the Floor (a big part of the dance community of North America) coaches over .