The Break the Floor dance company continues to lose other members after a series of accusations against company president Travis Wall.
On Friday, the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) confirmed Wall has been removed from his role as choreographer with the company for the rest of 2017 after an internal investigation.
“The American Ballet Theatre investigation revealed, among other findings, that elements of Wall’s behaviors were inconsistent with our standards of behavior for a professional ballet company. Mr. Wall will no longer be a choreographer with the company for the remainder of 2017,” ABT said in a statement.
ABT has also suspended its partnership with Break the Floor, and has removed a song from ABT’s 2018 online calendar.
In a statement, Wall blamed the move on a misunderstanding and said he would continue to collaborate with the company after it concludes its investigation.
“A lesson has been learned. And a great opportunity to learn from mistakes. Looking back, I have learned to take full responsibility for my actions and to be more careful in the future. In fairness to the dancers, myself and the ABT, I am going to work with them to put the pieces back together to continue building the incredible company and brand that we have become.
Read the full text of Wall’s statement below:
“The American Ballet Theatre investigation revealed, among other findings, that elements of Wall’s behaviors were inconsistent with our standards of behavior for a professional ballet company. Mr. Wall will no longer be a choreographer with the company for the remainder of 2017. I take full responsibility for my actions and my actions were wrong. In fairness to the dancers, myself and the ABT, I am going to work with them to put the pieces back together to continue building the incredible company and brand that we have become. In the meantime, The Break the Floor Dance Company will focus on their 2017-2018 year and further developing their content. They will start presenting more of their live shows around the United States for the summer with music from 1980s Culture Club and En Vogue. We will be continuing our Fall 2017 performances on the road. And they will be partnering with other professional ballet companies including ABT. While I am sad to no longer have this opportunity with my company, we have also learned through this terrible episode that we must learn to speak with each other with the kind of respect we need to show to each other on stage, however difficult the situation may be. I am thrilled for them to continue on this amazing journey.”
Just three days ago, Break the Floor sent out a press release announcing Wall was stepping down from the company at the end of the tour. Wall, 28, grew up in New Jersey and attended Montclair State University in New Jersey.
ABT previously removed Wall from the show “The Nutcracker” after it was revealed he allegedly gave what he called a “light tap” to a dancer involved in a 2015 assault complaint against him.
“I have always conducted myself in a respectful and professional manner on stage and off,” Wall said. “I deeply regret the perceived insensitivity of my tap gesture on this matter.”
The dancer Wall hit at the center of the investigation said Wall assaulted her multiple times.
Meghan Kelly is a Fox News correspondent based in the Chicago bureau. Follow her on Twitter: @MeghanKelly.