After a successful first phase of activities in Italy, the European initiative Breaking The Walls continues its international journey with a new stop at Outbreak Europe, one of the world’s leading events dedicated to breaking culture. On 20 July at 20:00 in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, the project will present its work through a dissemination event showcasing the methodologies, experiences and outcomes developed across its European programme.
Co-funded by the European Union, Breaking The Walls explores how breaking can become much more than a dance discipline. By combining movement, artistic expression and structured mental health education, the project promotes emotional awareness, resilience and personal growth among young people, demonstrating how hip hop culture can contribute to psychological well-being.
The choice of Outbreak Europe as a dissemination platform reflects the project’s commitment to engaging young audiences in environments where culture, creativity and community naturally intersect. Since its origins in Florida in 2003, Outbreak has evolved from an underground gathering into one of the most influential events in the international breaking scene. Following its move to Europe in 2010 under the leadership of Martin “MGbility” Gilian and Miroslav “MK” KrÞan, the festival established itself in Banská Bystrica as one of the flagship events of The Legits Blast Festival, welcoming participants from more than 90 countries every year.
Beyond elite competition, Outbreak Europe has earned a reputation for celebrating the educational, social and cultural dimensions of hip hop, making it an ideal setting for initiatives that place community and personal development alongside artistic excellence.
“Outbreak was built on the idea that breaking is much more than competition. It is community, identity and personal growth. Projects such as Breaking The Walls perfectly reflect those values by using movement and culture to create meaningful impact in young people’s lives,” says Martin Gilian, founder of The Legits and organizer of Outbreak Europe. “We are proud to provide a platform where discussions around mental health can exist naturally alongside world-class dance and cultural exchange.”
The collaboration builds on the partnership established during the 2025 edition of the festival, when Breaking The Walls introduced public dissemination activities alongside practical workshops exploring the relationship between movement and mental well-being. Those sessions featured a mental health workshop led by Dr. Isabelle Tay and a breaking workshop delivered by internationally renowned dancer Willastr8, creating an interdisciplinary approach that has become central to the project’s identity.
As the programme expands throughout 2026, Breaking The Walls continues to involve internationally recognised dancers alongside therapists and mental health professionals in a series of workshops across Europe. Following previous contributions from Australia’s Willastr8 and Germany’s Felda Frost, this year’s activities include Polish breaker B-Boy Kleju and French B-Girl San Andrea, whose sessions combine technical training with research into the positive effects of movement on young people’s psychological well-being.
“Breaking The Walls was created to show that caring for mental health can take many forms and that culture can play a central role in that process,” says Enrico Signa, project coordinator of Breaking The Walls. “By bringing these conversations into internationally recognised events such as Outbreak Europe, we can reach young people in environments where they already feel represented, inspired and connected. That is where real change begins.”
The event in Slovakia marks another significant step in the project’s wider European mission to engage more than 500,000 young people through activities that encourage self-expression, resilience and intercultural dialogue, while reinforcing the role of breaking culture as a vehicle for education, inclusion and well-being.
More information about the project, its activities and upcoming opportunities is available at breakingthewalls.eu and on Instagram at @breakingthewalls.eu.
