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"The dance community has long dealt with issues of inappropriate power dynamics as well as overt unacceptable behavior," Break the Floor said in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday. But as his company grew, the alleged sexual misconduct continued. NSFW Travis Wall Allegations For those who don't know, the competitive dance world is exploding with allegations of s*xual grooming and overall predatory behavior at Break the Floor dance conventions. His representatives at MSA Agency also said they had no comment on his behalf. Schaufeld said Wallace asked him to assist him at an event in Ontario, along with another female dancer, and they were sharing a room in an Ottawa hotel. 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 performances led by elite dancers and choreographers known from Broadway, film and television. Travis Wall Sexual Misconduct Accusation, Cut From Break the Floor Attendees squeeze into small ballrooms where choreographers teach classes. Hicks said he apologized to Lonetree and was reprimanded by Stroming. Lavallee caught the attention of Wall an Emmy winner and So You Think You Can Dance runner-up who was judging his performance at a BTF competition in the summer of 2008, Lavallee said. He said he found the work climate to be too sexualized to continue there. HE WAS INVITING HER TO HIS HOTEL ROOM. Lindsey said he eventually sent nude photos back when he was 17. Btf Tv He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. Famous Break the Floor instructors accused of sexual harassment | The Star 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. 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.. Watch popular content from the following creators: (@americanpiefan), Rachel Daly(@rachelkdaly), (@americanpiefan), Break The Floor(@breakthefloor), Rachel Daly(@rachelkdaly) . Geyser said the allegations have nothing to do with the current company, and that people involved with alleged misconduct no longer work for Break The Floor. Travis Wall Dismissed From Tour After Sexual Misconduct Allegations 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. Emmy winning choreographer Travis Wall has been suspended from Break the Floor dance companys traveling tours amid an investigation into an accusation of sexually inappropriate behavior made against him in a story published by the Toronto Star. Hundreds of studios and schools from. After all, Meismer was already an icon. Stroming declined interview requests and did not respond to the specific allegations. Hicks, meanwhile, continued to work at RADIX every season, through 2021. Click this link right now: https://advocatechannel.com, 26 Things Gay Sex Workers Want You to Know, 36 Pics of Inhibitions and Shirts Coming Off at Hebro's Jewbilee Party, 11 Homoerotic Ads, Covers From 20th Century Gay Artist J.C. 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As a result of the story, Break the Floor is bringing in a third party to launch an investigation into the accusation made against "So You Think You Can Dance" alum Wall. He said he felt punished for dodging the alleged sexual advances. He added new conventions and new locations, branching into Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada. Lazzarini denied subjecting anyone to unwanted sexual advances, adding that he would not respond to each and every claim in your forthcoming article that is false, taken out of context or completely exaggerated.. The only reason I could think of was because we didnt take it further romantically.. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"Schaufeld had fallen in love with tap at seven years old, and this opportunity offered a chance to raise his profile and learn from one of the best. So the boy was playing on the floor with these toys, like not even . presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution I just knew after that the company was bad news and I wanted out.. In the months that followed, Ellis said he began accepting Lazzarinis advances, once making out in the choreographers hotel room during a work break. Meismer allegedly asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. Wallace was already a star in the dance world and would later go on to be hired by Gil Stroming to direct Break The Floors 24 Seven. Judge Dismisses Jury in Trump Rape Trial for the Day Lavallee told 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 diffuse the situation, and a few months later, Wall cut off communication with Lavallee, which Lavallee believes was a direct result of him avoiding a sexual relationship with Wall. "In. Accept. 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. One staff member said Stroming showed him a nude photo of one of the students. 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. He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. I wish I would have known back at the time when it happened. 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. Stroming started the company after he came to fame in the 1990s, performing in an off-Broadway show Tap Dogs, described in The New York Times as a beefcake tap-a-thon where six husky hoofers show off more than their fancy footwork.. Break the Floor (who is bringing in a third party to launch an investigation into the accusation lobbied against Wall) said in a story on the company's Instagram page on Friday "Travis will not be traveling with BTF until we've had the opportunity for a third-party to look into these allegations," going on to say "We take this very seriously and All Lazzarini has denied subjecting anyone to unwanted sexual advances. He worked at a convention in Minneapolis, Minn., where he alleges a 31-year-old Lazzarini groped him. 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., In a written statement he told AP/Star I have been very upfront that when I first started the company at 19, over 20 years ago, there were issues of inappropriateness., The reach of California-based Break The Floor Productions extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. Hed toured with Britney Spears, Madonna and Paula Abdul. Travis Wall Sexual Misconduct Accusation, Cut From Break the Floor The CEO of Break the Floor where famous dance coaches were accused of sexual misconduct says he is selling the company A Star investigation found allegations of widespread sexual harassment. 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. Break the Floor cited new training that employees have been required to take along with a new and updated code of conduct. He said he must have passed out and has no recollection of sending the text. He said that he and Lonetree flirted with one another before the text in question. They provide amazing opportunities. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted.","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"captionPosition":"overlay","origImageSize":"960x1200","fullWindowGenericImage":false,"lastmodified":1650411169104,"forceoriginal":false,"caption":"Gary Schaufeld was a teenager in 2004 when he alleges a dance instructor pushed him up against a wall in an Ottawa, Ont., hotel room and forced oral sex on him. Thousands of hopefuls cram into hotel ballrooms across the continent for the chance to be discovered by a top choreographer and catapulted into the spotlight. In light of this, over the last 18 months, we have made substantial strides to ensure BTR is a better and safer environment for everyone. He said he had never done drugs of any kind before. 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. 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. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"text":"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. In the text conversation, Hicks told Lonetree, I have a blow job with your name on it. Lonetree brushed off Hickss propositions over text, the texts show. Thats what Gary Schaufeld alleges happened to him. Seven sources say they saw Stroming interact with students in ways that appeared intimate and inappropriate. Alumni and faculty have danced onstage with Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, at the Oscars and the Super Bowl. It banned inviting students to hotel rooms and said instructors shouldnt call students their daughter or son., The code of conduct also requires educators to report any suspected child abuse: If you witness anything concerning, it is your duty to report it to the appropriate authorities., Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. With a broad range of business prospects and a reach of over 300,000 dancers annually, Break the Floor Productions is largely . The problem was the three-year-old boy that was in the video with this guy. Break The Floor - Break The Floor - Break the Floor Productions The next morning, Stroming left abruptly for Las Vegas and handed her $40 for a cab ride back to the airport. The Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break The Floor events. "The dance community has long dealt with issues of inappropriate power dynamics as well as overt unacceptable behavior," Break the Floor said in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday. One night, Schaufeld said, Wallace pushed him up against the wall and forced oral sex on him. The parents Cecilia Sheeren, Toni Carr, Vicki Oglesby, Jerry Walker and Jarneia Beacham accused studio manager Debra Green of misusing the funds they paid to send their daughters to the JUMP. "We are committed to being a serious voice in this conversation and will continue our diligent efforts to positively impact the dance industry," the company added. He was inviting her to his hotel room. 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. A year or so later, shortly after her 18th birthday, Stroming flew the dancer out to New York, where he told her he had lined up dance auditions, she says. I was naive, and I was just letting it all happen, Lindsey said. Former DancerPalooza instructor, Eric Saradpon, has been charged by the Riverside County. Stroming did not respond to questions about this incident. 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.. Hudson is now a famous dancer, with a resume that spans mega tours with P!nk, 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. Facebook work filtering posts 'cost me my humanity' - BBC News As a result of the story, Break the Floor is bringing in a third party to launch an investigation into the accusation made against So You Think You Can Dance alum Wall. Hundreds of studios and schools from smaller communities bring teams of dancers to the events, branded by Stroming as JUMP, NUVO, 24 Seven, RADIX and DancerPalooza. In the wake of the Stars first investigation, Stroming said the company has worked hard over the last year and a half to make Break the Floor a better and safer environment.. Soon after, Lavallee, then 16, attended a hotel-room party in California where he said Wall, who was around 20, gave him crystal meth a highly addictive stimulant so he could stay awake for his flight back home to Arizona. As for the other allegation from the then-16-year old, Gabriel denied sending the photo, saying he would never engage in inappropriate behaviour that would ever lead to sending something like this to a teenager. Instructors accused of predatory behaviour had been fired, Stroming assured. Mapless mother, however, told the news organizations that she saw the photo when it appeared on shared photo albums on their familys home computer. I cant tell you how many times I thought about writing to Travis (Wall). I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. 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. We could have and should have done better. Uchida is now volunteering with BTF to help further revise the dance companys code of conduct. We are committed to being a serious voice in this conversation and will continue our diligent efforts to positively impact the dance industry.. Home - Break The Floor In the. 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. However, Lavallee said Wall told him he had romantic feelings for him, and thought of him as his best friend. 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. I then felt very embarrassed. I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. Travis Wall Scandal After Being Suspended From Break The Floor Mega dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say By the mid-2000s, dance exploded into the mainstream with the debuts of popular television shows So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. They brought fame to dancers Nick Lazzarini, the first-ever winner of Americas Favorite Dancer in 2005, Travis Wall and Misha Gabriel, who would all later become big-name attractions as Break The Floor instructors. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. 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.. Im not trying to bring this company down. He had been heading it uninterrupted for 22 years, presiding over its consistent growth, when a 2021 Star investigation revealed allegations of widespread sexual harassment and predatory behaviour by Break the Floor coaches over their younger students. One dance instructor, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of professional consequences, said she warns the children and teens she brings to conventions to be watchful and aware of the potential for abuse of power. 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. "The dance community has long dealt with issues of inappropriate power dynamics as well as overt unacceptable behavior," Break the Floor said in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday. Travis Wall Cut From Break the Floor Dance Company Tour Amid - Yahoo