In 2019, Stroming quietly fired him after he posted, then quickly removed, a video of himself masturbating on Instagram, as the Star previously reported. I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. 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. Mom Chief & Officer at Break The Floor Productions . Any claims to the contrary are simply untrue., Nick Lazzarini: My Apology and Promise to Do Better. For Myles Lavallee, that blurred student-teacher relationship began with BTF instructor Travis Wall. Click to reveal My resolve is unwavering. In the months that followed, Ellis said he began accepting Lazzarinis advances, once making out in the choreographers hotel room during a work break. It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted.. 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. I apologize and sincerely regret that my actions have hurt people I cherish or has broken their trust. Break The Floor Productions. 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. Break the Floor Productions is one of the world's preeminent dance entertainment companies, encompassing dance conventions, touring theatrical productions, software, photo and video . 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. CODA aims to revolutionize the dance competition experience and is complimentary for every routine registered for JUMP, NUVO, 24 Seven and The Dance Awards. Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break The Floor published a new code of conduct. I carry so much shame, because I knew who this person was I still indulged in the attention anyways, and it made me feel super icky. They provide amazing opportunities. las vegas, nv. Lavallee called a friend to come over to divert where he said he felt the night was leading. Contact Email info@breakthefloor.com. Thank you. 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. Here's what we know about the sexual assault allegations filed against He apologized and said he himself was a victim of abuse as a teen, and that his texts to Maples were a one time ever brief exchange.. In dance studios, Hudson says Meismer would guide him into bathroom stalls for oral sex. 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. I took the word of this choreographer, and thought he was helping me build a dance career. break the floor Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. Break The Floor Productions - Tech Stack, Apps, Patents & Trademarks His picture and profile disappeared from the website, though there was no formal announcement of his departure. This allows a dancer or studio to take class from home or at the studio (at the discounted virtual fee). On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. Working at Break The Floor Productions | Glassdoor Another dancer who says he reported his harassment to BTF management is Patrick Ellis, 26, from Baltimore, Md. The largest room is reserved for the main stage, where at many events, aspiring dancers perform showcases and compete for the title of best dancer.. Influential dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. Who would give someone Ecstacy in their parents home? Lazzarini denies subjecting anyone to unwanted sexual advances. Lonetree alleges Hicks later confronted him, took off Lonetrees headset, and told him to take a walk and come back with the answer I want. Hicks strenuously denies saying this and denies removing Lonetrees headset. 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. 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. October 25 2021 2:20 PM EST. One staff member said Stroming showed him a nude photo of one of the students. 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. Stroming declined repeated interview requests. Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as . Lavalee stated that he felt he was being groomed for a sexual relationship and that he was now being punished for dodging the alleged sexual advances. Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. October 25 2021 11:10 AM EST. 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. Sexual abuse pervades the dance world, according to child advocates and industry leaders. 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! Jeremy Hudson, now a professional dancer, came of age on the convention circuit and won Outstanding Dancer of the Year at the first JUMP Nationals in 2004. 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. Our model gets smarter over time as more people share salaries on Glassdoor. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors. 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. Lavallee also said that Wall gave him ecstasy that night. All rights reserved. Lilli Maples had taken classes with Gabriel since she was 10 years old. 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. Attendees squeeze into small ballrooms where choreographers teach classes. 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. Read More . In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors. Get the latest business insights from Dun & Bradstreet. 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. Lindsey alleges Lazzarini sent him nude photos of himself. Inside a Manhattan hotel, one of those choreographers Clarke idolized was now propositioning her for sex, she alleges. Stroming picked up Lazzarini at the height of his fame to join the convention circuit, teaching hundreds of thousands of aspiring young dancers. Break the Floor is the largest producer of dance conventions in the world with three dance conventions, JUMP, NUVO and 24 Seven Dance . Upload your resume. Im not trying to bring this company down. Jackie Stroming's Phone Number and Email Last Update. Related Articles Break The Floor Productions 5446 Satsuma Ave North Hollywood, CA 91601 jam . Schaufeld stopped dancing years ago and has no plans to return to the studio. 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 After he turned 18, he engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini. Afterwards, Schaufeld said Wallace told him never to say anything; it would be bad for both of their careers. Break The Floor Productions. 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. Film Production. Dance studios may apply their own additional administrative fees. National News | Button taught at Radix conventions. Its headquarters is located at New York, New York, USA. it's worth it! Break the Floor dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. But the secret ate away at him. FREE Shipping. On Oct. 1, BTF kicked off its fall season with an event in Toronto at an airport hotel. Break The Floor Productions is actively using 50 technologies for its website, according to BuiltWith. His representatives at the MSA Agency also said they had no comment on his behalf. He called me his convention boyfriend, recalled Hudson. Your IP: Operating Status Active. Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say 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. 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. 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. 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. She says she didnt attend any auditions, and returned home devastated. 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. The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. Sign in. 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 . Break the Floor has a fervent following. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. The incentive is a tax credit designed to help address complaints from school boards, police departments and hospitals about the growing . Break The Floor Productions, LLC uses Remarketing with Google Analytics to advertise on third party sites to you after you visited our Site. 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. 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. Allegations and Scandal Update. 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. That night, they had sex in his apartment. Meismer didn't respond to repeated requests for comment. Break The Floor LIVE | Virtual Dance Convention - YouTube . I cant tell you how many times I thought about writing to Travis (Wall). Im not trying to bring this company down. So I think I always kind of accepted it as, it is what it is, you cant do anything about it. . Lets be responsible journalists, shall we? . Josh Shapiro said he will propose a three-year incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, police officers and nurses when the Democrat unveils his budget plan on Tuesday. 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.. Travis Wall Dismissed From Tour After Sexual Misconduct Allegations Of the eight allegations made, Wall is only implicated in the one featured in this article- and it happened nearly fourteen years ago. The Star has spoken to a friend of Lindseys who said they saw the texts and photos Lindsey and Lazzarini exchanged. The next morning, Stroming left abruptly for Las Vegas and handed her $40 for a cab ride back to the airport. National News | 3 min read. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. 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. After all, Meismer was already an icon; he had toured with Britney Spears, Madonna and Paula Abdul. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Break The Floors Health & Safety Protocols can be found here: https://www.breakthefloor.com/safety. National News | Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. He said he had never done drugs of any kind before. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Flat-rate shipping on all physical store items anywhere in the US! Headquarters Regions Greater Los Angeles Area, West Coast, Western US. but trust us. His mental health deteriorated. Man convicted of California rapes that attorney blamed on defendants twin How much do Break The Floor Productions employees make? 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. But the sexual climate behind closed doors is deplorable to me. And everybody strives for that, obviously, because that leads to more opportunity and attention from the faculty, said Uchida. One staff member said Stroming showed him a nude photo of one of the students. A Toronto-born teen alleged a famous choreographer propositioned her for sex just hours after judging her at a 2012 Break the Floor convention. 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. Lonetree said he recounted the alleged exchange to Stroming. Specialties: Event Production Established in 2000. Break The Floor Productions LLC. Floor Productions - Overview, News & Competitors | ZoomInfo.com Check! 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. Every year, one of the world's 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. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Reviews from Break The Floor Productions employees about Pay & Benefits. Stroming did not respond to specific questions, though told the Star that the dance company did not have fully thought out policies and procedures regarding this and, over the last year and a half we have worked very hard to make BTF a better and safer environment for everyone.. At BTF, this contact led to physical boundaries being blurred. In the next week, we will be releasing an FAQ that will deal with all other questions. He worked at a convention in Minneapolis, Minn., where he alleges a 31-year-old Lazzarini groped him. 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. 550 Los Angeles, CA 90038 818.432.1234 info@breakthefloor.com. Now is the time for continued open dialogue, soul searching, and decisive action towards making amends. 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. He was a teen in 2004, assisting a successful tap dancer named Danny Wallace, who wasnt with Break the Floor at the time, but would go on to run one of its subsidiary conventions. 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. Location. Here is how it will work: JUMP, NUVO & 24 Seven will be planning all events, in-person, for the upcoming season. New York,NY . What if we plan on it and they are cancelled again? Lavallee said they exchanged numbers, and over a few texts and calls, he agreed to become Walls dance assistant. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Gil Stroming, who recently sold the company he founded more . 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. Jeremy Hudson, now a professional dancer, came of age on the convention circuit and won Outstanding Dancer of the Year at the first JUMP Nationals in 2004. . Read More. 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. High school student, convention boyfriend. 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. Out So You Think You Can Dance winner and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Travis Wall has been cut from dance company Break the Floor's tours following an . Dharma Productions shared the news of filming start on the project on the banner's social media handles. (US Only) Ellis recalled that on the last night of the dance season in May 2017, when Ellis was 21, Lazzarini kissed him while they were out at a club with other staff members. 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. Through transparency, integrity, and professionalism, we believe we can become a model throughout the dance industry. 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. Break the Floor Productions LLC operates as a dance entertainment company. A people person? 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. Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. 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. j***@breakthefloor.com. We could have and should have done better. Break the Floor offers dance workshops, contests, touring theatrical productions, picture and video production, corporate events . 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. At least four people removed from Break The Floor for alleged misconduct have continued to work around kids in other settings. Entering a BTF event is like walking into a carnival. Travis has made some great dance routines and is a great dancer. We remain committed to these initiatives and will continue to learn and be better.. 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. It is one of the most exciting events of a young dancers life, recalled Keanu Uchida, a professional dancer from Ottawa. To surprise him, Hudson said Meismer would buy them matching outfits. 2.7 out of 5 stars. Following his bosss instruction, Ellis went back to his tasks at BTF. 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..