Our dance studio friends are finding it hard to plan for the new season. 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. He said that he and Lonetree flirted with one another before the text in question. We understand that some studios and families might not yet feel comfortable attending the in-person workshop. The ultimate goal is winning first place under the spotlight at the annual Dance Awards. Lavallee called a friend to come over to divert where he said he felt the night was leading. Uchida, who was working as a dance assistant for BTF, alleges Lazzarini groped him in public without his consent before and after their relationship, and made derogatory, as well as racist comments about him in front of his peers and boss. Break The Floor is a rapid growth company and are always looking for great new people to join our team! The only reason I could think of was because we didnt take it further romantically. New App with lots of helpful features. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. 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 . Email. 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.. 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 . but trust us. Russell Geyser is the new CEO of Break the Floor Productions. Six of them have agreed to go public with their allegations. 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 . He worked at a convention in Minneapolis, Minn., where he alleges a 31-year-old Lazzarini groped him. j***@breakthefloor.com. 2.7 out of 5 stars. Break The Floor Productions 6555 Barton Ave., Ste. Break The Floor Productions, LLC uses Remarketing with Google Analytics to advertise on third party sites to you after you visited our Site. Dancer Isla Clarke, seen here performing in June 2021, alleges she was propositioned for sex by a choreographer nearly twice her age when she competed at a Break the Floor dance competition at age 16. 550 Los Angeles, CA 90038 818.432.1234 info@breakthefloor.com. 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. 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. While not all of the complainants in this story were involved with Break the Floor at the time of the alleged incidents, the instructors and executives accused of wrongdoing have played key roles in growing the companys revenue and popularity. And five dancers are suing former Boston Ballet star Dusty Button and her husband, alleging sexual abuse and assault. 24 SEVEN Dance Convention is a dance workshop and competition that tours to 27 cities in the United States each season. My resolve is unwavering. BTFs website shows the company still employs Wall, who is currently scheduled to be part of a BTF-affiliated dance conventions 2021-2022 faculty. Learn how to leverage transparent company data at scale. Each of them has since left the company amid allegations of sexual misconduct. 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. They provide amazing opportunities. Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. Lavallee also said that Wall gave him ecstasy that night. Thats what Gary Schaufeld says happened to him. Lazzarini would laugh and smile and would play it lighthearted so as to not take on the full responsibility of what he was doing, said Ellis. Sign in. . Reviews from Break The Floor Productions employees about Break The Floor Productions culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. Still, he accepted a sought-after opportunity to assist Meismer as they toured various studios and conventions together. 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. Employers / Post Job. 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. 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. That night, they had sex in his apartment. Alumni and faculty have danced on stage with Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, at the Oscars and the Super Bowl. 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. 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 . 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. 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.Break the Floor is the largest producer of dance conventions in the world with three dance conventions, JUMP, NUVO and 24 Seven Dance . He added new conventions, and new locations, branching into Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Film Production. Three of these dancers were under 18. Read More. He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a298e5fcfbebcbd This story was reported as a partnership between The Associated Press and the Toronto Star, 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.. Through transparency, integrity, and professionalism, we believe we can become a model throughout the dance industry. In his first 10 days as CEO, he said four people were let go.. Lilli Maples had taken classes with Gabriel since she was 10 years old. Following his bosss instruction, Ellis went back to his tasks at BTF. 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. www.floorproductionsllc.com. 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. july 8-15. hyatt regency orlando. Hudson said he was optimistic. Three of them say these alleged advances happened when they were under 18. 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.. For aspiring young dancers like Clarke, the companys events are an almost mandatory stop if they want to pursue dancing professionally. I felt very invalidated, Ellis said. 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 . I apologize and sincerely regret that my actions have hurt people I cherish or has broken their trust., In a later response, after being presented with an additional accusation that he sent nude photos to a teenage dancer, Lazzarini added: I have never subjected anyone to unwanted sexual advances. 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. 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. At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings. Break The Floor Productions 5446 Satsuma Ave North Hollywood, CA 91601 jam . 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. This story was reported in partnership with the Toronto Star. We could have and should have done better, he said. Your IP: Sign in. Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him. Flat-rate shipping on all physical store items anywhere in the US! She says she didnt attend any auditions, and returned home devastated. His mental health deteriorated. In 2019, Stroming quietly fired him after he posted, then quickly removed, a video of himself masturbating on Instagram, as the Star previously reported. BREAK THE FLOOR LIVE is now April 18-19! 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. 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.. Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. 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. (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). 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. 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. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 100,000+ dancers annually, Break The Floor Productions is largely . The company currently specializes in the Entertainment area. 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. 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. Looking to travel? Performance & security by Cloudflare. Break the Floor calls itself one of the worlds preeminent dance companies, and its programs reach more than 300,000 dancers each year. At Floor Productions we deliver best-in-class quality with the industries' best time-to-market project completion. Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. He won the best dancer title in 2014 and worked for BTF for two years as a dance assistant, travelling across Canada and the United States. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors.