A look at the first international training meeting held in L’Aquila during the 2025 Check The Style event, where young dancers and experts explored breaking, mental training, emotional growth, and community building through workshops, interviews, and film screenings.

In May 2025, in L’Aquila, Italy, during the worldwide Check The Style event held from May 21 to 25, the first official training meeting of the international project took place. The gathering brought together the young participants selected by all partner organizations and the two renowned dance experts, Willstr8 and Frieda Frost, marking an important milestone in the project’s development.

On Wednesday the 21st and Thursday the 22nd, the two afternoon workshops provided a structured yet deeply personal training experience. The young dancers were guided through an exploration of hip-hop and breaking that went beyond physical movement. They were encouraged to listen to their emotions, recognize their inner motivations, and connect their personal stories to their dance practice. This approach allowed them not only to refine their skills but also to begin discovering one another through shared passion, vulnerability, and artistic expression.

This fundamental step helped establish an empathetic and supportive bond within the group—an essential element for the Breaking The Walls project. The initiative aims to show young dancers the importance of mental training, understood not only as psychological preparation but also as creating the opportunity to socialize, share experiences, and learn to trust themselves and others. Building this sense of community is at the heart of the project’s mission.

During the key days of the event, the participants also had the opportunity to attend live radio interviews conducted by WRAPdZONA, recorded on-site with various professionals from the breaking world. These conversations focused on mental training and the impact it has had on the careers of established dancers—highlighting resilience, discipline, and the emotional strength required to continue evolving in such a demanding art form.

The program also featured a cinematic component through the screening of a documentary film produced by Le Monde, titled Double Airflare: The Move Breakers Just Can’t Crack. The film offered an inside look at the physical and psychological challenges faced by breaking dancers as they push themselves to master new techniques and refine complex movements. It served as both inspiration and a realistic portrayal of the dedication required in this discipline.

Overall, the experience in L’Aquila proved deeply formative on multiple levels. The young participants returned home with not only enhanced technical and physical preparation, but also meaningful social connections, new perspectives on mental well-being, and a stronger awareness of what it means to grow as dancers and as individuals within an international community.