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. Subscribe to our emails. After he turned 18, he engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini. Break The Floor Productions is part of the Home Improvement & Hardware Retail industry, and located in California, United States. 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. That night, they had sex in his apartment. I felt very invalidated, Ellis said. Button taught at Radix conventions. A post shared by Break The Floor Productions (@breakthefloorprod). National News | 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. 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. That dancer now works for BTF as a choreographer. 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. I took the word of this choreographer, and thought he was helping me build a dance career. 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. 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. New York,NY . The Star has spoken to a friend of Lindseys who said they saw the texts and photos Lindsey and Lazzarini exchanged. If an event changes from in-person to virtual, the difference in fees will be refunded within 7 business days of the event. One of those dancers was Patrick Ellis, who alleges that he told Break the Floors CEO, Gil Stroming, that Lazzarini had stuffed his hand up through a hole in Elliss pants and tried to fondle him. Alumni and faculty have danced on stage with Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, at the Oscars and the Super Bowl. 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. 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 Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. Write a review. Emmy winning choreographer Travis Wall has been cut from Break the Floor dance company's traveling tours amid an investigation into an accusation of . Dancers can take workshop classes at home or the studio may organize a watch and dance party at their studio. Dancer Nico Lonetree, of Saint Paul, Minn., alleges he was propositioned for oral sex by BTF employee Vincent Hicks via texts while they both worked at the RADIX BTF dance convention on Feb. 11, 2017, in Houston, Texas. Stroming did not respond to questions about this incident. 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. 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. Awards ceremonies will be broadcast live immediately following the competition. Learn More About 24 Seven! 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. Which in fact, he wasnt, Hudson said in his video, viewed over 6,300 times. All rights reserved. . Etc. His representatives at the MSA Agency also said they had no comment on his behalf. But at Meismers house, they didnt discuss work. New App with lots of helpful features. 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Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a298e5fcfbebcbd 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. When Ellis explained that he recoiled before Lazzarini actually touched his genitals, he alleges Stroming declared it wasnt actually sexual harassment because he didnt actually touch me.. 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. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. j***@breakthefloor.com. A people person? 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). I was naive, and I was just letting it all happen, Lindsey said. Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said. 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 . 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. agreed. Updated: This article has been updated to include a comment that Break The Floor provided after the article published. Receive a full refund within 7 business days of the event. I didnt know how inappropriate that was.. This story was reported in partnership with the Toronto Star. 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. 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. Receive up-to-date schedules and info when attending any of the Break The Floor events: JUMP, NUVO, 24 Seven, The Dance Awards, DancerPalooza and Dance Teacher Summit! Lavallee also said that Wall gave him ecstasy that night. 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 . Lazzarini denies subjecting anyone to unwanted sexual advances. Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. The creative type? It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted.. 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. He said he found the work climate to be too sexualized to continue there. Lonetree now questions whether he was punished for speaking up. Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break The Floor published a new code of conduct. In 2019, Stroming quietly fired him after he posted, then quickly removed, a video of himself masturbating on Instagram, as the Star previously reported. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. Lavallee charges that in 2008, Wall made sexual advances on him when the two stayed at Lavalees parents home overnight while teaching a dance course close by. - See all classes with helpful filters. Lawyers for Saradpon and the Buttons didnt respond to requests for comment. What will the in-person events look like? Keanu Uchida, photographed in Montreal, said many student dancers at Break the Floor endured inappropriate sexual advances from their instructors. it's worth it! 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. FREE Shipping. The company was launched 22 years ago by a charismatic dancer, Gil Stroming, who came to fame in the 1990s, performing in the off-Broadway show Tap Dogs, described in The New York Times as a beefcake tap-a-thon.. Dance studios may apply their own additional administrative fees. Hotel lobbies, colourfully decorated, are lined with vendors selling clothes and videos. My resolve is unwavering. 165.8K Followers. 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. Company reviews. 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. Competition routines will be uploaded to our website and judged virtually. 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. 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. 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. I then felt very embarrassed. Break the Floor Productions is one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing dance conventions, touring theatrical productions, software, photo and video production and apparel. I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. Description. Now 25, Uchida grew up attending BTF conventions. Check! The next morning, Stroming left abruptly for Las Vegas and handed her $40 for a cab ride back to the airport. The annual revenue of Break The Floor Productions varies between 25M and 100M. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. Discover jobs. 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 one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing dance conventions, touring theatrical productions, software, photo and video . Performance & security by Cloudflare. Gil Stroming, who recently sold the company he founded more . Through transparency, integrity, and professionalism, we believe we can become a model throughout the dance industry. Can a dancer do the scholarship audition through a virtual event? JUMP is proud to integrate CODA into all its competition. This allows a dancer or studio to take class from home or at the studio (at the discounted virtual fee). Dance organizations create wide opportunities for adults to single out a child, groom them and then get them alone to sexually abuse them, she said. 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. Ellis alleges that Stroming decided there was no sexual harassment because Lazzarini never touched his genitals. He referred reporters to his lawyer, who didnt respond. He said he must have passed out and has no recollection of sending the text. 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. Follow. But the sexual climate behind closed doors is deplorable to me. 24Seven 2021. About us. Company Type For Profit. I totally feel like I was a headache [for Stroming], Lonetree said. 185.120.77.169 CODA is Break The Floor's innovative online system of style specific score sheets, video tutorials, data analytics and judge training. Hicks, who was working as the convention announcer, was in his early 30s. Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. 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 . 10 Mar, 2022, 01.17 PM IST.