Two Edmonton Twins Took “STORM” From Dream Gig to VMA Stage
One of our most popular stories on INYIM has been GENER8ION and Yung Lean’s “STORM,” and now we get an inside look at two of the dancers who helped bring its mesmerizing choreography to the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
Ethan and Aiden Beldre, 19-year-old twins who now live in Los Angeles but grew up on Edmonton’s south side in Alberta, Canada, spoke with CTV News Edmonton about what it was like stepping onto the VMA stage beside Yung Lean and an enormous dance ensemble. For both brothers, the moment landed as something they had been imagining for years.
“An award show has been a dream performance to do for a really long time,” one of the twins said, describing the experience as surreal. Even better: they got to do it together, sharing the moment while making their family proud.
entertainment
From Edmonton to the VMAs
Ethan and Aiden Beldre had just three days to learn the choreography before joining GENER8ION and Yung Lean’s massive live staging of “STORM.”
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Three Days to Learn a Performance Built on Total Synchronization
The brothers had only three days to learn the choreography and understand the intention behind the staging. Ethan danced in the second row of the ensemble, while Aiden worked from the front row, helping form the tightly controlled movement that made the number so hypnotic on television.
The pressure was not just about getting the steps right. As the twins explained, the performance was also meant to underline what real dancers and artists can create together — especially at a moment when generative AI keeps creeping into visual culture. Their job was to stay grounded, engage every muscle and keep the movement synchronized without losing the human quality at the center of it.
“STORM” Became Yung Lean’s U.S. Television Debut
The September 27 performance at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater recreated the massed-dancer finale of the “STORM” video and marked Yung Lean’s U.S. television debut. The original visual, directed by Romain Gavras with choreography by Damien Jalet, had already turned its synchronized movement into one of the project’s defining images.
For Ethan and Aiden, watching the finished number back was almost like seeing an entirely different piece. Dancing inside the formation meant concentrating on muscle engagement, timing and placement; watching it afterward revealed the full scale of what the group had actually built together.
And despite the international stage, the twins are still carrying Edmonton with them. The Alberta capital sits in western Canada, roughly 300 miles north of Calgary, and it is still central to how they talk about where they came from. They regularly return home to teach at the dance company they started when they were just 14, with the long-term hope of creating opportunities for dancers from their hometown to follow them into professional work.
The takeaway is simple and pretty perfect for two 19-year-olds who just danced one of the VMAs’ most visually ambitious numbers: where you start does not have to decide how far you go. And yes, these two have serious INYIM Creative energy — disciplined, visually tuned-in, collaborative and clearly hungry to build something bigger than a single performance.
Ethan & Aiden Beldre Talk Dancing With Yung Lean at the 2026 VMAs
CTV News Edmonton speaks with the twins about learning the choreography in three days, performing together and bringing their Edmonton roots onto the international stage.
Sources: CTV News Edmonton;
