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Stroming picked up Lazzarini at the height of his fame to join the convention circuit, teaching hundreds of thousands of aspiring young dancers. On planes, Meismer would grope him in his seat, Hudson alleges. Two of the choreographers facing allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour are listed as employees on the companys website. 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.. Myles Lavallee is one of eight former staffers and students in a . to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about While for some of the dancers in this story the sexual interactions were, at the time, consensual, they now feel a power imbalance pressured them into relationships with leaders of the dance world who are many years older than them. For Myles Lavallee, that blurred student-teacher relationship began with BTF instructor Travis Wall. Donald Padgett October 25 2021. SYTYCD alumni / choreographers face allegations of sexual harassment Now 25, Uchida grew up attending BTF conventions. Thousands of. In the past, Break The Floors policies and procedures did not focus on these issues as closely as they could have. His mental health deteriorated. Break the Floor cited new training that employees have been required to take along with a new and updated code of conduct. A Star investigation has found allegations of widespread sexual harassment and predatory behaviour by BTF coaches over their younger students, where dancers say their complaints of inappropriate conduct have been dismissed by the companys owner, letting the problem fester for years. He was a teenager in 2004, assisting a successful tap dancer named Danny Wallace, who was not with Break the Floor at the time. Ellis said Stroming peppered him with questions. (The Star has not seen the now-deleted text from Lazzarini, but has spoken with two people with whom Clarke shared or discussed the message). Stroming declined interview requests and did not respond to the specific allegations. . Carroll came out with her accusations against Trump in a book titled "What Do We Need Men For?" and in an excerpt of the tome published in New York Magazine in 2019. That dancer now works for BTF as a choreographer. He vowed to make Break the Floor a safe space for the next generation of dancers the same goal, he said, that he had when he launched the dance company more than 20 years ago as a charismatic 19-year-old. Trump 'slammed' E. Jean Carroll before allegedly raping her - New York Post Yet, I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love and thank them for their patience and grace. Earlier this year, after Geyser took the helm as CEO, Break the Floor implemented procedures to protect children, including, among other things, a hotline, background checks for new staffers and a commitment to commission independent probes into allegations. Warning: This article includes accounts of alleged sexual misconduct that some readers could find distressing. 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. Ellis alleges that Stroming decided there was no sexual harassment because Lazzarini never touched his genitals. Three of these dancers were under 18. When Ellis explained that he recoiled before Lazzarini actually touched his genitals, he alleges Stroming declared it wasnt actually sexual harassment because he didnt actually touch me.. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"type":"cta","buttonText":"Sign Up Now","buttonLink":"/emails.html?nsrc=article-inline-longreads","description":"Take your time with the Star's biggest and best features with our Weekend Long Reads email newsletter. Of these sources, four say Stroming sometimes brought young Break the Floor participants to parties or company events, where they were introduced as his girlfriend. 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. ","heading":"","fullWindow":false,"fullBleed":false,"showFullBleedOnMobile":false,"headColor":"","type":"html5mobile","textColor":"","mobileImageUrl":"","bgColor":"","imageUrl":"","registeredOnly":false,"linkUrl":"","aodaTitle":"Jeremy Hudson Instagram post","internalScroll":false,"displayStyle":"small-up"},{"text":"Meismer was recently removed from NUVOs website and abruptly left the tour. Hours later, Gil Stroming told his staff and customers he had sold the company for an undisclosed amount to Los Angeles real estate investor and producer Russell Geyser and was stepping down as CEO. Nico Lonetree (left) and Myles Lavallee are among eight dancers who allege they were subjected to sexual harassment or predatory behaviour from staff of the prominent dance company, Break the Floor. His family has an INCREDIBLE amount of money. Break The Floor - Break The Floor - Break the Floor Productions Break the Floor would not confirm if he was one of the four that were let go in the days after Stroming sold the company. The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. 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.. I just knew after that the company was bad news and I wanted out.. Wall is just one of several Break the Floor employees facing allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior from former staff and students. A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. He remembers Meismer shushing him; someone was asleep in a nearby room, Meismer allegedly warned. Entering a BTF event is like walking into a carnival. Two-time Emmy-winning choreographer and So You Think You Can Dance star Travis Wall has been taken off of the Break the Floor dance company's tours after allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming were leveled at him by a then-underaged dancer with the company. This investigation, in partnership with the Associated Press, has found the alleged misconduct goes even deeper, and involves some of those responsible for turning Break the Floor into a dance industry empire. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and then confront Wallace directly. But as his company grew, the alleged sexual misconduct continued. 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. Republication or distribution of this content is About five years later, Lavallee, who now works as a professional dancer and choreographer, told his mother, Wendy, about everything that happened between him and the two older choreographers. 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. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. As I embark on a path of repentance, I will use the platform I have been given to do better in the future and to help others get it right too. "Travis will not be traveling with BTF until we've had an opportunity to look into these allegations." BTF announced in a statement via Instagram. In the NEWS. ","type":"text","isParagraph":true,"isHeading":false},{"captionPosition":"overlay","origImageSize":"1200x800","fullWindowGenericImage":false,"lastmodified":1650401372730,"forceoriginal":false,"caption":"Gary Schaufeld fell in love with tap dancing at seven years old. 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. Tw, BTF & Jump 2007? : r/dancemoms - Reddit Thursday's testimony became heated, with Trump's accuser, E. Jean Carroll raising her voice at one point, and the judge scolding a Trump lawyer for asking questions that were "argumentative . Lavallee called a friend to come over to divert where he said he felt the night was leading. The AP and Star have not seen these messages because Maples said theyd been deleted. In the months that followed, Ellis said he began accepting Lazzarinis advances, once making out in the choreographers hotel room during a work break. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. 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. I didnt know how inappropriate that was.. Influential dance company bred culture of sex, silence, dancers say Watch popular content from the following creators: (@americanpiefan), Rachel Daly(@rachelkdaly), (@americanpiefan), Break The Floor(@breakthefloor), Rachel Daly(@rachelkdaly) . Male Dancer Accuses Travis Wall of Sexual Misconduct and Grooming Lindsey, from California, said he started exchanging text messages with the 34-year-old choreographer. 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. For aspiring young dancers like Clarke, the companys events are an almost mandatory stop if they want to pursue dancing professionally. 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. Then, in early February, amid a flurry of new allegations against Break the Floor instructors on social media, Stroming disappeared from the companys website. 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. 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. Break the Floor is investigating an allegation of sexually inappropriate behaviour raised in a Toronto Star investigation. Wall has previously said "accusations against me are false." In 2019, according to multiple sources, Lazzarini accidentally posted to Instagram a video that appears to show himself masturbating. Stroming was three years older, she said, a magnetic 19-year old running the whole show. All of these sources spoke on the condition of anonymity in fear of retaliation and damage to their careers in the professional dance community. The response from Trump who. About two decades ago, when she was a 20-year-old dance teacher accompanying her students to a Break the Floor event, she said she refused Gil Stromings $500 offer to join him in his hotel room.