We inadvertently made a pitstop to an annual dance event (April 2) and experienced a horde of dancers encircling what we soon found out to be Les Twins on the way out. The identical French brothers Laurent and Larry Bourgeois are a self-taught dance duo who, in 2008 gained the attention of the dance community by winning the Juste Debout dance competition. They made their U.S. TV debut thanks to The Ellen Degeneres Show in 2010 and since then went on to perform with Beyonce in 2011 numerous times at the Billboard Music Awards, UK’s Glastonbury Festival, BET Awards, etc. and also Beyonce’s On The Run Tour with Jay-Z in 2014, catapulting them to a household name.

Les Twins freestyle dance battle on April 2. / Photo: © Diane Abapo for SUSPEND Magazine.

Known for their strong emphasis on isolations and jerk-like musicality, the twins have an uncanny ability to complement and finish the other’s moves. Moving like one seamless entity, the brothers are magical to watch in-person, bending and twisting, dropping onto the floor and re-positioning so quickly. We watched the brothers dance, first letting other dancers share the stage one-by-one for an impromptu “battle”. From what I saw, the twins didn’t expect to participate – merely watch their peers – before they couldn’t help but get involved themselves.