Art with a message. larry And Laurent Bourgeois — better known as Les Twins — are currently touring the world with Beyoncebut they also find time to give back using what they love most: dancing.
The French dancers, 34, last year teamed up with Kids Write Network, a youth program that helps children and young adults build confidence and improve their mental health using art, music and dance. The duo have conducted workshops in schools across Canada as part of their RISE for Mental Health tour, which will make its US debut in October at Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to Laurent, founder of KWN Helen Georgiaklis “kidnapped” him and his brother to work with his organization after seeing them perform. “She literally fell in love with the way we worked with strangers,” the choreographer said exclusively. We Weekly. “She liked the way I educated people, because it was more than dancing.”
Beyonce.
Rob Latour/ShutterstockFans of Beyoncé, 41, will recognize The Twins from her videos and tours dating back to 2011, but the duo have been dancing for much longer than that. As they say, they never learned to dance – they were just born doing it.
“It’s totally moving,” explained Laurent. “It’s like babies [when] they do not know how to speak. Their bodies talk, when they’re angry, when they’re happy, when they’re super happy, when they’re hungry… their bodies talk and dance 24/7.
The brothers want their dance workshops to help children learn to express themselves through art, even if they aren’t as naturally drawn to dance as the Twins. In many cases, they have seen students come out of their shells after a lesson.
“They release something,” said Laurent We. “They literally understand who they are. They realize what’s wrong with them right now and they say to themselves, “It’s time for a change. » »
Georgaklis, for her part, noted that the Bourgeois twins have a knack for spotting children in a crowd who most need the individual attention of a caring adult.
“They choose them from the public, knowing nothing of their past,” she said. We. “[We’ve] had teachers sending us messages just saying, “We can’t thank you enough, because last week this kid was going to kill himself, and today he really wants to live because he’s found this newfound freedom in his own body.” You’re dealing with people who feel trapped in their own bodies…and then suddenly they’ll go through that process and realize they don’t need to be trapped anymore.
After Les Twins finished their stint with the Renaissance visit come September, they won’t have much respite before hitting the road again with KWN, bringing their unique dance methods to schools across North America. As to why they love working with children so much, Laurent has a simple answer.
“Because they are my future,” he explained. “Children, they either love you or they don’t. You have to face this love, and it’s raw, and I’m really about it. It’s beautiful.”