Emmy Award-winning choreographer Travis Wall will no longer travel with a prominent dance company while he investigates an allegation of sexually inappropriate behavior raised in a Toronto Star investigation.
Break the Floor, which houses dance schools and performs in North America, said a third party will investigate the allegation against Wall.
“We take this very seriously and will take further action if necessary,” the dance company statement read on Instagram.
Wall did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wall had previously said, “the allegations against me are false” in a statement through a publicist.
A Star investigation found allegations of widespread sexual harassment and predatory behavior by Break the Floor coaches on their younger students, where dancers say their complaints of inappropriate behavior have been dismissed by the company owner, leaving it to be. the problem continues for years.
Eight former employees and students allege that BTF employees, famous in the world of dance, started sexual conversations, proposed to them, sent them nude photos, sexually harassed them at work or had sexual relations with them.
One of those students alleges that Wall started preparing it when he was 16 and the choreographer was around 20.
Myles Lavallee said he became Wall’s dance assistant in 2008, and the choreographer flew him across the United States to help him teach choreography to young people.
Wall was at the height of his fame in 2008. He was runner-up on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2006, and had become a staple of television.
In the fall of 2008, Wall was teaching a course near Lavallee’s home in Arizona, and Lavallee’s parents invited Wall over for the night, Lavallee said.
Lavallee also said that Wall gave her ecstasy that night. “We were doing hand massages, which now scares me,” he said.
Lavallee called a friend to come over to detour to where he said he felt the night was driving by.
Lavallee said he made it clear that he was not interested in a sexual relationship. The relationship did not progress further physically, Lavallee said. However, Lavallee said that Wall told him that he had romantic feelings for him and that he thought of him as his best friend. A few months later, without warning, Lavallee said, Wall cut off communication with him in the middle of a weekend and did not show up for one of his scheduled teaching sessions. Lavallee said Wall’s disappearance left him untethered and now he feels like he’s being groomed for a sexual relationship. He said he felt punished for avoiding the alleged sexual advances.
“I really didn’t understand why the communication was cut off. The only reason I could think was because we didn’t take it any further romantically. “
Break the Floor CEO Gil Stroming previously told The Star that the dance company did not have “fully thought out policies and procedures on this” and, “for the last year and a half we have worked very hard to make BTF a better and safer environment for everyone. “
“We could and should have done better.”
Reference-www.thestar.com