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.. Lindsey, from California, said he started exchanging text messages with the 34-year-old choreographer. In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. 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. CODA is Break The Floor's innovative online system of style specific score sheets, video tutorials, data analytics and judge training. Headquarters Regions Greater Los Angeles Area, West Coast, Western US. As a student I was in inappropriate relationships with teachers, and vice versa, and just looking back I was like, oh wow, I think a lot of us dont even realize at first the power that we have in the dance world.. Average hourly pay for Break The Floor Productions Av Technician: $21. Its headquarters is located at New York, New York, USA. All of our in-person events will now have a virtual option. Lonetree was 19. 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. Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. Break the Floor calls itself one of the worlds preeminent dance companies, and its programs reach more than 300,000 dancers each year. Email. Gil Stroming, who recently sold the company he founded more . The alleged victims story is shaky at best. To surprise him, Hudson said Meismer would buy them matching outfits. 2.7 out of 5 stars. Gabriel, another famous dancer and choreographer, allegedly sent a nude photo on Snapchat to a 16-year-old dancer who says she was so horrified she threw her phone across the room. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. 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. - See show line-ups. I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. To get anywhere, like here, you have to do whatever the teachers said, you know what I mean? Hicks said he apologized to Lonetree and was reprimanded by Stroming. He added new conventions, and new locations, branching into Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada. . He said he had never done drugs of any kind before. . Through transparency, integrity, and professionalism, we believe we can become a model throughout the dance industry. 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.. 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 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. Film Production. Lawyers for Saradpon and the Buttons didnt respond to requests for comment. Another said Lazzarini texted her a nude selfie when she was 16. October 25 2021 2:20 PM EST. One said Lazzarini groped him through a hole in his pants. 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 . The Open Database Of The Corporate World. 10 Mar, 2022, 01.17 PM IST. This salary trends is based on salaries posted anonymously by Break The Floor Productions employees. Allegations of sexual misconduct first hit the dance company in October, when the Toronto Star revealed allegations of widespread sexual harassment and predatory behavior by Break the Floor instructors. Isla Clarke was 16 when she alleges she received a nude photo texted by one of North Americas most famous dance choreographers, a man nearly twice her age. 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. A post shared by Break The Floor Productions (@breakthefloorprod). Reviews from Break The Floor Productions employees about Break The Floor Productions culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. And whats egregious about seeing it in the context of conventions is that it happens to kids. That night, they had sex in his apartment. Stroming picked up Lazzarini at the height of his fame to join the convention circuit, teaching hundreds of thousands of aspiring young dancers. Now 25, Uchida grew up attending BTF conventions. We are truly heartbroken that anyone has been subject to inappropriate behaviour by any person associated with Break The Floor, the statement read. Break The Floor now draws around 300,000 dance students, some as . Maples mother, however, told the news organizations that she saw the photos when they appeared on shared photo albums on their familys home computer. National News | She says she didnt attend any auditions, and returned home devastated. Receive a full refund within 7 business days of the event. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. 185.120.77.169 Still, he accepted a sought-after opportunity to assist Meismer as they toured various studios and conventions together. In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. Uchida is now volunteering with BTF to help further revise the dance companys code of conduct. However, Lavallee said Wall told him he had romantic feelings for him, and thought of him as his best friend. He also noted that he was not in a position of authority but in a first-year, entry-level position. Thats what Gary Schaufeld says happened to him. break the floor Blogs, Comments and Archive News on Economictimes.com . 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). 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 . I cant tell you how many times I thought about writing to Travis (Wall). june 24-july 1. the venetian/palazzo. On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. A year later, Hudson stayed with Meismer when he joined Break The Floors fledgling NUVO convention as part of its original lineup of instructors. We could have and should have done better, he said. It has been humbling. 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, said Uchida, who alleges in 2015 he had a six-month consensual sexual relationship with Lazzarini when he was 19 and Lazzarini was 31. it's worth it! We could have and should have done better. A Toronto-born teen alleged a famous choreographer propositioned her for sex just hours after judging her at a 2012 Break the Floor convention. He is no longer with the company, according to Break The Floor. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Stroming did not respond to questions about Elliss allegations. He added new conventions, and new locations, branching into Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada. 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). 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. 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.. Greater Los Angeles Area Event Planner Break the Floor Productions Jan 2012 - Aug 2019 7 years 8 months. At BTF, this contact led to physical boundaries being blurred. But during a 2020 in-house training, a recording of which was reviewed by the AP and Star, Stroming addressed his own past misconduct. The whole story seems fishy. For more than 30 years, Russell has been CEO of numerous companies and run a portfolio of investments in theatrical film production, sports lending, film finance and lending, media buying, and . National News | 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. 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. In 2019, according to multiple sources, Lazzarini accidentally posted to Instagram a video that appears to show himself masturbating. A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. He referred reporters to his lawyer, who didnt respond. 24 SEVEN Dance Convention is a dance workshop and competition that tours to 27 cities in the United States each season. Warning: This article includes accounts of alleged sexual harassment that some readers could find distressing. After this investigation published, BTF issued a statement saying it fired the choreographer following this incident because of concerns about this type of behaviour., After receiving questions regarding the allegations, Lazzarini sent text messages to three of the dancers who spoke to the Star, saying to one, I will do my best to be a better person and apologizing to another, Im so so sorry I ever made you feel uncomfortable.. 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. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Inside a Manhattan hotel, one of those choreographers Clarke idolized was now propositioning her for sex, she alleges. 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. I didnt know how inappropriate that was.. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. Hicks, who was working as the convention announcer, was in his early 30s. It just felt like the next step was for us to be in contact and kiss one another.. 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. 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.