So you think you can dance season 11 finalist Rudy Abreu is facing allegations of sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl.
In a TikTok video that has garnered more than 1.5 million views since May 16, 22-year-old dancer Charley Bennett shared disturbing details about her experience as an assistant at a dance convention on tour where Abreu worked as an instructor. Bennett, then 14, said she was in awe SYTYCD alum since his appearance on the show. Over time, Abreu “slowly began to bond with all the assistants,” who ranged in age from 8 to 18.
“His way of bonding, I guess, was following us on Instagram, Snapchat and all our Finstas [fake Instagrams] at the time,” Bennett recalled. “He was involved So you think you can dance, he danced with JLo and followed us on Instagram, and that was cool. We thought he was a cool mentor and a cool teacher, and that’s how boundaries and lines are crossed at a very young age.”
Bennett claimed that Abreu’s interactions with her slowly progressed to a more sexual nature. While on tour with the convention, she claimed Abreu sent her a Snapchat message describing all the ways he wanted to undress her “in detail.”
He later allegedly sent her a full-body nude picture of himself in an airplane bathroom and asked for one in return, which she complied because she “didn’t know what would happen” if she didn’t. Another alleged incident occurred when Bennett said Abreu insisted on looking at the hole in his shorts, where the tip of his penis was sticking out.
“He’s asking me to look at it before he cleans it up,” Bennett claimed.
PEOPLE reached out to Abreu’s agency, Go2Talent, for comment, but did not hear back.
Rudy Abreu and Tanisha Belnap in Season 11 of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’.
FOX Image Collection via Getty
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After Bennett turned 15, she and three friends flew to Los Angeles to help Abre dance. She says she landed the night before her friends and stayed at Abreu’s apartment, where he lived with his then-girlfriend of two years.
She claimed that he offered her weed and alcohol and touched her inappropriately. Before the night was over, Bennett said he allegedly told her “it’s time to go to bed, because he just can’t help himself.” Then he allegedly groped her three times in his arms.
“I think I distanced myself after this interaction,” she said. “I felt gross that his girlfriend wasn’t there and that he was touching me now and it made me very uncomfortable.”
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The last time they saw each other, Abreu reportedly said to a large group of people, referring to Bennett, “God, I can’t wait until she’s 18.”
Bennett, who has since worked with Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty clothing line, concluded the TikTok by saying, “I hope this video raises awareness of how things can slowly develop and happen, and in no way should work on the dance.”
Abreu added: “Rudy, this is not to ruin your life. You ruined your own life by doing all this to a child. And that’s why I don’t wish you anything good.”
Abreu was a contestant in season 11 So you think you can dance 2014. Since then it has appeared on The world of dance and has worked with musicians including Bebe Rexha, J Balvin and Pesa Pluma, according to The Hollywood Reporterwhich cited his online resumes and social media posts.
Bennett has already told the story of her experiences in the dance community. In 2020, she claims she spoke with Abreu’s representatives at McDonald Selznick Associates, po THR. The agency no longer represents Abreu, and McDonald Selznick Associates did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education