She says she didnt attend any auditions, and returned home devastated. After all, 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. 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. 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. He was born Aug. 13, 1936 in Nada to Joseph and Ann Leopold Meismer. Button taught at Radix conventions. (AP Photo/John Minchillo), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, By JULIET LINDERMAN, MARTHA MENDOZA and MORGAN BOCKNEK. Billie Lourd will accept the honor on behalf of her late mother Carrie Fisher on Star Wars Day, May 4 I didnt know how inappropriate that was.. 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. This might just be his lucky break into professional dance. It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted. (AP Photo/John Minchillo), Gary Schaufeld holds his old tap shoes as he stands for a portrait at his home, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Port Jefferson, N.Y. Schaufeld stopped dancing years ago and has no plans to return to the studio. In 2018, 14 years after the incident, he decided to tell his family, and confront tap dancer Danny Wallace directly. Hudson alleges Meismer pushed him against a wall and performed oral sex on him. Former Break The Floor instructors have been accused of abusing young dancers in other settings. Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. The actor revealed in October 2022 that he packed up his things and moved his family out of their plush $90 million California mansion in a bid for a better life.. In dance studios, Hudson says Meismer would guide him into bathroom stalls for oral sex. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. : r/dancemoms 3 yr. ago by wistfullystressedout a genuine prodigy. Mark Meismer grew up in Orange County, California where he trained for four years at the Orange County High School of the Arts. Mark was born in Lakewood, California, but raised in Cerritos one of three siblings. By JULIET LINDERMAN, MARTHA MENDOZA and MORGAN BOCKNEK | Associated Press and Toronto Star. A third said he and Lazzarini exchanged nude photos when he was 17. LOS ANGELES (AP) 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. Meismer didnt respond to repeated requests for comment. This might just be his lucky break into professional dance. We will continue to update details on Mark Meismers family. One staff member said Stroming showed him a nude photo of one of the students. 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.. 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. 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. WebShe assists her mom, Krista Miller, on KBM Talent Events, and Mark Meismer on Nuvo Dance Convention, shes also represents the creative dance venue, The Brea Space and The Space TV. At her first company event, when she was 17, she and Stroming had oral sex, she said. In dance studios, Hudson says Meismer would guide him into bathroom stalls for oral sex. But the secret ate away at 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. 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. 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.. 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 Stars prior investigation uncovered allegations that Lazzarini had subjected at least six dancers to unwanted sexual advances at Break the Floor events. Old tap shoes rest on a chair as Gary Schaufeld describes his time as a young performer in dance competitions, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, at his home in Port Jefferson, N.Y. 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. WebMark Meismer. Meismer started his acting career landing roles in films, such as the Elijah Wood 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. Martha focuses on justice, accountability and transparency. 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. He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. 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. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. Subscribe. 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. He was born on June 19, 1973 and his birthplace is Lakewood, CA. I didnt know how inappropriate that was.. In his first 10 days as CEO, he said four people were let go.. The ultimate goal is winning first place under the spotlight at the annual Dance Awards. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. Gil Stromings company capitalized on all of that studio growth, an industry that reached about $4 billion in value by 2021, employing more than 120,000 people, according to market research from analysts at IbisWorld. 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. In the years that followed, Hudson said Meismer continued to pursue him for sex. 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. 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. Sexual abuse pervades the dance world, according to child advocates and industry leaders. Glenda was a 1967 graduate of Barbers Hill High School. 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, though he said he remembered having an inappropriate attraction to Schaufeld. We've received your submission. 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. I took the word of this choreographer, and thought he was helping me build a dance career. 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. Sexual abuse pervades the dance world, according to child advocates and industry leaders. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. The next morning, Stroming left abruptly for Las Vegas and handed her $40 for a cab ride back to the airport. He stopped eating and sleeping, and suffered from panic attacks, he said. Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. 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. It was my church, he said, but now the whole dance scene feels dirty and tainted. (AP Photo/John Minchillo), Gary Schaufeld stands for a portrait at his home, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Port Jefferson, N.Y. He called me his convention boyfriend, recalled Hudson. Thats what Gary Schaufeld says happened to him. This might just be his lucky break into professional dance. 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. Some of his TV credits include American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Scrubs, Will and Grace, The George Lopez Show, Home Improvement, Mad About You, The Hughleys, The MTV Video Music Awards, The American Music Awards, The VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Rosie O'Donnell Show. I was frozen in my own skin, I didnt know what to do, Schaufeld said. Three of these dancers were under 18. Lawyers for Saradpon and the Buttons didnt respond to requests for comment. 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.. Which in fact, he wasnt, Hudson said in his video, viewed over 6,300 times. Meismer asked the young dancer, then 17, to come to his home. In the opening segment of the April 17 episode, the camera panned to the audience where Mark and Kelly's daughter Lola Consuelos, 21, was sitting in the front row. The AP and the Star havent seen these messages because Maples said theyd been deleted. Break the Floors reach extends across the entertainment industry to some of the biggest names in music, television and social media. One staff member said Stroming showed him a nude photo of one of the students. 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. The dance world, its not like its different than any other world, its just that theyve been able to keep their secrets longer.. His picture and profile disappeared from the website, though there was no formal announcement of his departure. Professional dancers suffer a wide swath of sexual predation from irritating flirtation to full-out devastating attacks. He called me his convention boyfriend, recalled Hudson. Gabriel who has performed with Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonc and more was recently removed from the JUMP faculty. The combination of hyper-sexual dance content and the close contact between adult teachers and the young dancers creates an atmosphere ripe for abuse, said Jamal Story, a professional dancer who is co-chair of the National Dance Committee for The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). 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. 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. In addition to competitions with cash prizes, Break The Floor conventions which cost between around $200 to $350 per student offer dozens of workshops, under strobing lights and thumping music. Weba genuine prodigy. 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. 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.. Still, he accepted a sought-after opportunity to assist Meismer as they toured various studios and conventions together. Afterwards, Schaufeld said Wallace told him never to say anything; it would be bad for both of their careers. 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. I was definitely inappropriate myself in a lot of ways, he told his staff. That night, they had sex in his apartment. 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 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. At 16, Hudson looked forward to the festive weekend gatherings. Meismer shushed him, he remembers, warning that someone was asleep in a nearby room. Stroming was three years older, she said, a magnetic 19-year-old running the whole show. 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. I just didnt know myself enough to understand how harmful it was, Hudson said. In 2018, 14 years later, he decided to tell his family, and confront Wallace directly. One dance instructor said she warns the children and teens she brings to conventions today to be watchful and aware of the potential for abuse of power.
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