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. 3 min read. Lazzarini noticed a tear in Elliss pants and he just shoved his hand up my pants, to which I quickly reacted because I was already embarrassed and didnt need a hand grabbing my genitalia, alleged Ellis. Break The Floor - Break The Floor - Break the Floor Productions Website. I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. 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. 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. Afterwards, Schaufeld said Wallace told him never to say anything; it would be bad for both of their careers. Lavalee also charges that in an earlier incident, he attended a hotel room party in California where Wall gave him crystal meth so he could stay awake for his flight back home to Arizona. (Lavallee had never done any drugs at all prior to the alleged incident). Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said. Our goal for this coming season is clear we are going to be holding all events, no matter what, GUARANTEED. He was a teen in 2004, assisting a successful tap dancer named Danny Wallace, who wasn't with Break the Floor at the time, but would go on to run one of its subsidiary conventions. We could have and should have done better, he said. Stroming did not respond to questions about this incident. 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. 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. He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. 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. Afterwards, Schaufeld said Wallace told him never to say anything; it would be bad for both of their careers. Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. At least four people removed from Break The Floor for alleged misconduct have continued to work around kids in other settings. National News | Greater Los Angeles Area Event Planner Break the Floor Productions Jan 2012 - Aug 2019 7 years 8 months. A Toronto-born teen alleged a famous choreographer propositioned her for sex just hours after judging her at a 2012 Break the Floor convention. Contact. I could feel the relationship change because I basically rejected the offer., In a statement, Lazzarini apologized to those who bravely stepped forward to share their truth.. 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. 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. 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 reviewed the text messages. The incentive is a tax credit designed to help address complaints from school boards, police departments and hospitals about the growing . Meismer didnt respond to repeated requests for comment. This might just be his lucky break into professional dance. In 2019, according to multiple sources, Lazzarini accidentally posted to Instagram a video that appears to show himself masturbating. The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. Break the Floor dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say Juliet Linderman, Martha Mendoza and Morgan Bocknek. 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.. About us. 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. Hicks, meanwhile, continued to work at RADIX every season, through 2021. july 8-15. hyatt regency orlando. Button taught at Radix conventions. Who is Floor Productions. Inside a Manhattan hotel, one of those choreographers Clarke idolized was now propositioning her for sex, she alleges. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. An Ottawa dancer working as an assistant for the company said the same choreographer groped him in public. He referred reporters to his lawyer, who didnt respond. Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him. And whats egregious about seeing it in the context of conventions is that it happens to kids. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. 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. Others did make allegations about BTF staff to owner and CEO Stroming, but their concerns were dismissed, allege two former staffers who say they were harassed on the job. 324 Brickyard Rd, Dalton, Georgia, 30721, United States. 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). 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. 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. In a statement, BTF Productions said, For some time, we have taken substantial steps to ensure BTF is the safe and comfortable environment that our attendees and employees deserve and expect.. Working at Break The Floor Productions: 15 Reviews - Indeed Subscribe to our emails. 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. It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted.. That night, they had sex in his apartment. Each of them has since left the company amid allegations of sexual misconduct. 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. Contact. 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. 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. In a series of text messages between Schaufeld and Wallace, reviewed by the AP and the Star, Schaufeld laid out his accusations and Wallace said that although he couldnt remember anything, he couldnt be more sorry.. We have many different teams and departments who are in need of someone just like you! Break the Floor helped launch his career, but an alleged assault by one of its star dancers continues to haunt him. Another dancer who says he reported his harassment to BTF management is Patrick Ellis, 26, from Baltimore, Md. At Floor Productions we deliver best-in-class quality with the industries' best time-to-market project completion. Company reviews. National News | 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. Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. 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. In his first 10 days as CEO, he said four people were let go.. I then felt very embarrassed. 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. We were doing hand massages, which just creeps me out now, he said. I could feel the relationship change because I basically rejected the offer. Influential dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say (Please note: Some fall cities have a registration deadline of only 14 days prior). But the sexual climate behind closed doors is deplorable to me. But at Meismers house, they didnt discuss work. 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. Lavallee said Wall flew him around the United States to help him teach choreography to youth in a dance studio and other conventions. 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. Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. National News | The company provides dance workshops and competitions, touring theatrical productions, photo and video production, corporate events and apparel along with a broad range of business prospects to its customers. 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. Lets be responsible journalists, shall we? Parents sue Tomball dance studio - Chron Reviews from Break The Floor Productions employees about Break The Floor Productions culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. orlando, fl. Break the Floor Productions is one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing dance conventions, touring theatrical productions, software, photo and video . 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.
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