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. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors. 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. When I began teaching dance, I did so with the singular goal of helping individuals discover, develop, and express their truest selves. That night, they had sex in his apartment. Break The Floor Productions is actively using 50 technologies for its website, according to BuiltWith. That night, they had sex in his apartment. But the secret ate away at him. 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. Once on the convention circuit, children as young as five years old and teens spend entire weekends, from early morning to sometimes past midnight in hotel ballrooms and convention centres. Sign in. Hudson is now a famous dancer, with a resume that spans mega tours with Pink, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue, and appearances in more than a dozen films including La La Land and FAME. For 17 years, he kept to himself about what happened with Meismer. 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. He said he had never done drugs of any kind before. Break The Floors Health & Safety Protocols can be found here: https://www.breakthefloor.com/safety. Hamilton also said perpetrators in many youth-focused organizations use hotel rooms away from home to exploit the power imbalance between teachers and students. I was naive, and I was just letting it all happen, Lindsey said. Description. Three of these dancers were under 18. Break the Floor offers dance workshops, contests, touring theatrical productions, picture and video production, corporate events . That dancer now works for BTF as a choreographer. An Ottawa dancer working as an assistant for the company said the same choreographer groped him in public. Break The Floor Productions. One staff member said Stroming showed him a nude photo of one of the students. 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. 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 . 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. He referred reporters to his lawyer, who didn't respond. Stroming was three years older, she said, a magnetic 19-year-old running the whole show. Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. The biggest problem facing the dance industry (and everything, quite frankly) is uncertainty. Uchida is now volunteering with BTF to help further revise the dance companys code of conduct. We are working on our competition entry limits for each event and will announce them soon. Yet, I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love and thank them for their patience and grace. National News | But in January, as the AP and the Star were investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against him and others involved in the company, Stroming announced that he had sold Break the Floor and stepped down as CEO. The AP and the Star haven't seen these messages because Maples said theyd been deleted. His representatives at the MSA Agency also said they had no comment on his behalf. 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. 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. 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. We could have and should have done better, he said. Specialties: Event Production Established in 2000. Ellis started working for BTF in merchandising, selling clothing at events in 2015 when he was 19. Break The Floor Productions 6555 Barton Ave., Ste. it's worth it! There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. 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. 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.. Teens who win titles at BTF events are invited back to work on the convention circuit as dance assistants for choreographers on the BTF roster, known internally as faculty.. Jackie Stroming is a Mom Chief & Officer at Break The Floor Productions based in N Hollywood, California. But the sexual climate behind closed doors is deplorable to me. The Open Database Of The Corporate World. But in January, as the AP and the Star were investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against him and others involved in the company, Stroming announced that he had sold Break the Floor and stepped down as CEO. 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. 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. Each of them has since left the company amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Lavallee also said that Wall gave him ecstasy that night. October 25 2021 2:20 PM EST. The lawsuit and its disturbing allegations have rocked the ballet world, one populated by young dancers most of them girls who train under exacting instructors in hopes of reaching the top . On Oct. 1, BTF kicked off its fall season with an event in Toronto at an airport hotel. Afterwards, Schaufeld said Wallace told him never to say anything; it would be bad for both of their careers. What will the in-person events look like? The next day Meismer was removed from NUVOs website and abruptly left the tour. The number of employees ranges from 25 to 100. At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings. BTFs website shows the company still employs Wall, who is currently scheduled to be part of a BTF-affiliated dance conventions 2021-2022 faculty. 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 was definitely inappropriate myself in a lot of ways, he told his staff. 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.. 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. join our mailing list 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. Many students endured inappropriate sexual advances or comments from their instructors, Uchida said. Former DancerPalooza instructor, Eric Saradpon, has been charged by the Riverside County District Attorney with perpetrating lewd acts on minors in a private dance studio, and is awaiting trial. Button taught at Radix conventions. What if we plan on it and they are cancelled again? Hicks, who was working as the convention announcer, was in his early 30s. On all orders over $100! Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. JUMP/NUVO/24SEVEN/TDA.Watch the latest video from Break The Floor (@breakthefloor). His mental health deteriorated. 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. After he turned 18, he engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini. Following his bosss instruction, Ellis went back to his tasks at BTF. The Company encompasses dance workshops, competitions, touring theatrical and video . Meismer didnt respond to repeated requests for comment. Break The Floor Productions. At Floor Productions we deliver best-in-class quality with the industries' best time-to-market project completion. He added new conventions, and new locations, branching into Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada. 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. 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. 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! 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. Hicks, meanwhile, continued to work at RADIX every season, through 2021. In the next week, we will be releasing an FAQ that will deal with all other questions. Susan Kao illustration with photos from Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images, John Lamparski/Getty Images, Broderick Baumann and ngel Vasquez, VIDEO OF BTF EVENT, OCT. 14, 2018: NICO LONETREE/@NICOGOOFS. 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. Lonetree was 19. Its touring conventions will make numerous stops this year, from Miami to Vancouver and Calgary to Anchorage, Alaska. 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. Break The Floor is a rapid growth company and are always looking for great new people to join our team! 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. 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. Break The Floor Productions, LLC was formed in 1999 by Gil Stroming with the rock-tap show Break The Floor. Nowhere in the world of education should students feel they are underneath the predators, he said. Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as . Subscribe to our emails. 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. Alumni and faculty have danced on stage with Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, at the Oscars and the Super Bowl. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. Lilli Maples had taken classes with Gabriel since she was 10 years old. Former DancerPalooza instructor, Eric Saradpon, has been charged by the Riverside County District Attorney with perpetrating lewd acts on minors in a private dance studio, and is awaiting trial. I believe if I had been taken seriously at the time I came forward with my experiences, this could have prevented another person from finding themselves in the same position that I was forced into, Ellis said. Here is how it will work: JUMP, NUVO & 24 Seven will be planning all events, in-person, for the upcoming season. www.floorproductionsllc.com. Read More. The next morning, Stroming left abruptly for Las Vegas and handed her $40 for a cab ride back to the airport. This story was reported in partnership with the Toronto Star.