Lombard Twins

Last updated
Martin and Facundo Lombard
Lombard Twins dancing.jpg
Background information
Born (1977-07-07) July 7, 1977 (age 47)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres Hip-hop dance, tap dance, Free Expression
Occupation(s)Dancers, actors, directors, choreographers, composers, producers, models
Website www.lombardtwins.com

Martin and Facundo Lombard (born July 7, 1977), [1] professionally known as the Lombard Twins, are Argentinian dancers, choreographers, actors, directors, composers and producers widely known for their role in the Step Up series. As identical twin brothers, they developed a dance form that focuses on individual emotion and expression, which they call "Free Expression." [2]

Contents

Early life and career

The twins were born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the neighborhood of Mataderos, raised by a single mother. [2] They began dancing together at age seven, inspired by Michael Jackson, [3] [4] subsequently dropping out of school at thirteen; [1] and that same year debuting on the Argentinian television show, Ritmo de la Noche (Rhythm of the Night). [3]

In 1993, at fifteen they began acting, [1] struggling to build an acting career as twins, while only recognized for their dancing. [1] After their unsuccessful acting careers, they created their own dance choreographies and began playing drums and piano, [1] [4] expanding into other visual art forms [3] including writing short films at age nineteen. [1]

At twenty when they met James Brown and he invited them on stage to perform with him at a small concert in Buenos Aires, Brown called them the 'Soul Boys.' [5] On Brown's recommendation they moved to New York a year later. [1] [4] They continued working with Brown for almost a decade. [4]

Moving to New York

In 1998, at 21, they moved to New York City with $800. They lived frugally in Spanish Harlem as undocumented immigrants, [2] unable to speak English, without friends or family in New York, [1] [4] resorting to sleeping at least once in the subway. [1] [4] They learned to tap dance by frequenting jazz clubs also frequented by accomplished tap dancers. [5]

In 1999, they met, Michael Jackson, a childhood idol, at corner in Midtown NYC, in his car, the twins spotted and danced for him. Jackson rolled down his window, saying “you were very clean, you must practice a lot." [2] A year later, they met Jackson at the Times Square Virgin Records store. Ten years later, they performed at Jackson's induction into the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, New York. [6]

Acting and modeling

The Lombard Twins gained recognition after their role as the Santiago Twins in the films, Step Up 3D (2010) and Step Up All In (2014). [2] They also appeared in the promotional trailer for Men in Black 3 with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. [7] Leading up to their roles in Step Up, the Lombards appeared with Whitney Houston and George Michael and also modeled for Versace and Vogue. [2]

In 2011, they acted in the film “Los Marziano,” directed and written by Ana Katz, alongside Guillermo Francella, Mercedes Moran and Arturo Puig., [4] [8]

Short films

The twins directed and wrote the short films: Infacia 34, Sublevados, Free Expression, Chant Et Fugue, Escualo, Persecuta. [9]

YearTitleCredit
2008Infacia 34Writers, Directors, Actors
2009SublevadosWriters, Directors, Choreographers
2012Free ExpressionWriters,Directors,

Choreographers, Dancers

2012Chant Et FugueWriters, Directors, Choreographers, Dancers
2015EsculaoWriters, Directors, Choreographers, Dancers
2017PersecutaWriters, Directors, Choreographers, Dancers

Works

The Lombard twins created two stage productions of which they choreographed, directed and produced, including the 2004 semi-autobiographical show “Dreamers” based on their first experience living in New York City, [2] [10] and the 2008 concert, Lombard Plays Piazzolla, based on Astor Piazzolla's music. Lombard Plays Piazzolla made its world premier at the New York City Center, and NBC's “Rosie Live” with Rosie O’Donnell. [11]

Free Expression

The Lombard Twins’ discovery of Free Expression was based on emotion. [12] “Free Expression transcends the rules, traditions, and attitudes inherent to many established dance techniques of today and focuses on individual emotion and expression,” described the Twins in an interview with Dance Informa. [3]

It was developed from the idea that dance styles do not allow for free expression because they are connected to a predetermined attitude and are associated with specific rules, creating emotional boundaries. The twins believed in order to fully express oneself, “it is necessary to let go of the predetermined attitude and the rules of a certain style, culture or tradition”. [4]

Dance Influences

Martin and Facundo's major inspirations include Michael Jackson, Jorge Donn, prominent Argentinian ballet dancer, and Gregory Hines, American dancer, actor and singer. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice dance</span> Discipline of figure skating that draws from ballroom dancing

Ice dance is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. According to the International Skating Union (ISU), the governing body of figure skating, an ice dance team consists of one woman and one man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astor Piazzolla</span> Argentine composer, bandoneon player and arranger (1921–1992)

Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles. In 1992, American music critic Stephen Holden described Piazzolla as "the world's foremost composer of Tango music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tap dance</span> Type of dance involving percussive shoes

Tap dance is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be a cappella, with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its own music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Puerto Rico</span>

The Music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have primarily included African, Taino Indigenous, and European influences. Puerto Rican music culture today comprises a wide and rich variety of genres, ranging from essentially native genres such as bomba, jíbaro, seis, danza, and plena to more recent hybrid genres such as salsa, Latin trap and reggaeton. Broadly conceived, the realm of "Puerto Rican music" should naturally comprise the music culture of the millions of people of Puerto Rican descent who have lived in the United States, especially in New York City. Their music, from salsa to the boleros of Rafael Hernández, cannot be separated from the music culture of Puerto Rico itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tango music</span> Style of music originating in South America

Tango is a style of music in 2
4
or 4
4
time that originated among European and African immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay. It is traditionally played on a solo guitar, guitar duo, or an ensemble, known as the orquesta típica, which includes at least two violins, flute, piano, double bass, and at least two bandoneóns. Sometimes guitars and a clarinet join the ensemble. Tango may be purely instrumental or may include a vocalist. Tango music and dance have become popular throughout the world.

<i>Bye Bye Birdie</i> 1960 musical

Bye Bye Birdie is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart.

<i>Kiss of Death</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Barbet Schroeder

Kiss of Death is a 1995 American crime thriller film directed and produced by Barbet Schroeder, and starring David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicolas Cage, Helen Hunt, Ving Rhames and Stanley Tucci.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Robinson</span> American dancer and actor, AKA Bojangles (1878–1949)

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid black entertainer in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. His long career mirrored changes in American entertainment tastes and technology. His career began in the age of minstrel shows and moved to vaudeville, Broadway theatre, the recording industry, Hollywood films, radio, and television.

<i>Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo</i> 1984 film by Sam Firstenberg

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo is a 1984 American dance musical film directed by Sam Firstenberg. It is a sequel to the 1984 breakdancing film Breakin'. Electric Boogaloo was released seven months after its predecessor by TriStar Pictures. In some international locations the film was released under the title Breakdance 2: Electric Boogaloo. Another sequel, Rappin' was made but had an unconnected plot and different lead characters – only Ice-T features in all three films.

Albert Mehrabian is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is best known for his publications on the relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Samuels Smith</span> American actor

Jason Samuels Smith is an American tap dancer, choreographer, and director.

Samantha Jo "Mandy" Moore is an American choreographer, dancer, producer, and dance instructor. She is known for her work on the United States reality television series So You Think You Can Dance, having appeared on the show every year since the third season, and Dancing with the Stars. She choreographed the 2016 film La La Land and has also worked on commercials and various musical productions such as Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour. She has created dance numbers for the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and Grammy Awards ceremonies. She has been nominated seven times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, winning in 2017 for her work on Dancing with the Stars, in 2018 for her work on So You Think You Can Dance, and in 2020 for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

Rosie Live is a variety show starring Rosie O'Donnell that aired November 26, 2008 live from New York's Little Shubert Theatre on NBC. It contained singing, dancing, comedy routines and specialty acts. However, poor critical response and ratings doomed the project, and it was unofficially canceled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turfing</span>

Turfing is a form of street dance that originated in Oakland, California, United States, characterized by rhythmic movement combined with waving, floor moves, gliding, flexing and cortortioning. It was developed by youth from West Oakland and organized by dancer Jeriel Bey, who coined the name "turf dancing," or "Turfin" and named his Organization The Architeckz™. Bey named the dance form as an acronym for "Taking Up Room on the Floor." The style was originally known by the terms "having fun with it" or "hitting it", but these names didn't seem marketable. However, another claim for the nomenclature considers the acronym as a backronym and that turf dancing originated as a way to describe dances that different "turfs" from Oakland performed to represent where they were from. The dance form had its earliest influences in the Boogaloo movement of the mid-1960s, but it developed into a distinctive dance style.

<i>Step Up 3D</i> 2010 American film

Step Up 3D is a 2010 American 3D dance film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer. It serves as a sequel to 2008's Step Up 2: The Streets and the third installment in the Step Up film series. The film sees the return of Adam G. Sevani and Alyson Stoner, who portrayed Moose from Step Up 2: The Streets and Camille Gage from Step Up, respectively. It also stars Rick Malambri and Sharni Vinson.

The Flo-Bert Award honors "outstanding figures in the field of tap dance".

Figures of Argentine tango are elements of Argentine tango.

Tap City, the New York City Tap Festival, was launched in 2001 in New York City. Held annually for approximately one week each summer, the festival features tap dancing classes, choreography residencies, panels, screenings, and performances as well as awards ceremonies, concert performances, and Tap it Out, a free, public, outdoor event performed in Times Square by a chorus of dancers. The goal of the Festival is to establish a "higher level of understanding and examination of tap’s storied history and development.”

With the advice and consent of the United States Senate, the president of the United States appoints the members of the Supreme Court of the United States, which is the highest court of the federal judiciary of the United States. Following his victory in the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden took office as president on January 20, 2021. During the 2020 Democratic primary campaign, Biden pledged to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court, although unlike his opponent, Donald Trump, Biden did not release a specific list of potential nominees during the 2020 general election campaign.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bruno Larocca,Viva, pages 18-24, Clarín, August 19, 2012
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bryan Llenas, Our American Dream: The Lombard Twins Let Emotion Rule the Dance, Fox News, June 11, 2012
  3. 1 2 3 4 Leigh Schanfein, Freedom Of Expression: Lombard Twins, Dance Informa, July 07, 2012
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Estefanía Lisi, Gemelos Lombard: La danza volvió para quedarse, Revol Girar Las Danzas, July 09, 2015
  5. 1 2 Ricardo Kirschbaum Danza: La Increible Historia De Los Gemelos Lombard, Clarin, September 26, 2002
  6. Tom Keyser,Michael Jackson inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame, timesunion, August 15, 2010
  7. Sony Pictures Entertainment,Men In Black 3 Official Trailer, YouTube News, December 11, 2011
  8. Kary López,The El talento de los Lombard Twins, Caras, December 17, 2016
  9. Persecuta MSP Film Society, 2017
  10. Melissa Renter, Dancing Brothers Step Up to Challenge, mySA, August 5, 2010
  11. NBC,Lombard Twins with Rosie O’Donnell on NBC YouTube, Jan 15, 2009
  12. Anna Halkidis, Twin Brothers Stun With Their Unique Tap Dancing Performance, Little Things