The Pompeyo Family, also known as Pompeyo Family Dogs, was a dog act from Season 12 of America's Got Talent. They were eliminated in the Quarterfinals, but they returned as a Wild Card in the Semifinals, where they were eliminated again.
Background
The Pompeyo Family consists of Jorge, Natalya, their daughter Katerina, and their dogs. Born in Cali, Colombia, Jorge Niño (Pompeyo) is a fourth-generation circus performer. He made his debut in the ring at age five, as a clown… Like most children born into the circus, he was trained in a wide variety of disciplines, and worked over the years as an acrobat, a flying trapeze artist, a high-wire walker, and an animal trainer—notably with a group of tigers.
His wife, Natalya Demina, was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where she started training in competitive gymnastics at the tender age four. When she was ten years old, she fell on her back after doing a double somersault from the uneven bars, and spent one month in a hospital: Her father had to teach her to walk again. Yet, after a few months, the strong-willed Natalya was back to gymnastics! She eventually obtained a Masters of Sports in gymnastics.
Like many competitive gymnasts in the former Soviet Union, Natalya transferred her gymnastics skills to the circus, which she joined when she was fifteen years old. She started with an aerial cradle act, and after a few years, she joined an acrobatic troupe with which she began to travel the world.
Jorge and Natalya met in 2003 in the United States, where they both performed with the George Carden Circus: Jorge worked on the high wire with the Toscano Troupe, and Natalya was an aerialist on silks and an acrobat. They fell in love.
Yet all was not immediately in the pink: while Natalya was pregnant with their first child, Katerina, Jorge was performing in a "Globe of Death" act in a circus that burst in the middle of the season. The circus owner was unable to pay Jorge what he still owed him, and perhaps in an attempt to show his good faith, he presented him instead with two dogs... This didn’t really help the young couple at first, but they made the best of it: they decided to build a dog act they would present together – but they needed more dogs: they began to comb the shelters for spirited dogs in need of a home. Over the years, more dogs were then rescued from various shelters and unsavory homes, which Jorge trained according to their natural abilities and individual talents, and in 2009, the Pompeyo Family and their Amazing Rescue Dogs began their career.
Jorge, Natalya, their daughters Katerina, and Isabella, and their dogs have been performing together for over ten years throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean with constant success. In the U.S., they have been featured in such venues as Circus Sarasota, Lone Star Circus, Circus Vazquez, among many others. [1]
Audition
Pompeyo Family Dogs' audition in Episode 1203 consisted of dogs performing tricks such as dancing on their hind legs, standing on their front legs, jump roping, one dog riding in a small car as another dog pushed it, hopping through a loop held by Katerina, and finally walking on their hind legs while holding on to each other. Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell all voted "Yes," sending the group to the Judge Cuts.
Judge Cuts
Pompeyo Family Dogs' Judge Cuts performance in Episode 1210 consisted of dogs performing tricks such as pushing a hollow cylinder while another dog walked through it, dancing on their hind legs, and finally, climbing up a ladder and leaping off of it. The group's performance was strong enough for the judges to send it to the Quarterfinals instead of Sirqus Alfon.
Quarterfinals
The Pompeyo Family's Week 2 Quarterfinals performance in Episode 1213 consisted of dogs performing tricks such as hopping over obstacles, biting those obstacles and moving them, jump roping with two ropes, and leaping through a hoop held up by one of the trainers, all with a safari theme to Katy Perry's "Roar". Mel B and Simon Cowell gave the group standing ovations. The Pompeyo Family did not receive enough votes to advance to the Semifinals in Episode 1214, eliminating them from the competition instead of Mandy Harvey.
Semifinals
The Pompeyo Family returned to the Semifinals as a Wild Card. The Pompeyo Family's Week 2 Semifinals performance in Episode 1219 consisted of performing dog tricks such as rolling a hollow cylinder down the floor, climbing the rings of two sets of ladders, hopping over a snowmobile, and sliding down a slide, all with an arctic theme to Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold". Simon Cowell gave the group a standing ovation. The Pompeyo Family did not receive enough votes to advance to the Finals in Episode 1220, eliminating them from the competition along with Celine Tam instead of Mandy Harvey.
Trivia
- The Pompeyo Family was paired with Mandy Harvey in both the Quarterfinals and the Semifinals, losing to her both times.
External Links
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