The association Liaisons urbaines, recognized as a public-interest organization, was created to build connections between disciplines rooted in hip-hop culture and actors from both the local and international scene.
Our mission is to highlight the creative, educational, civic, and inclusive dimensions of this culture, in order to strengthen social cohesion, foster artistic emulation, and promote cultural openness. Since 2012, through our flagship event, the GENEVA SUMMER BREAK Festival, we have been bringing together generations, disciplines, pedagogical approaches, and cultural backgrounds to build lasting bridges between artists, audiences, and communities.
Over the years, we have developed several projects that expand and strengthen our mission:
Breakin’Session : an artistic transmission program centered on Breaking.
Summer Break Camp : youth camps that foster learning, creativity, and cultural diversity.
Artistic and cultural mediation workshops, such as deejaying, graffiti, or dance, conducted in schools, community centers, and partner associations.
Guillaume Fernandez, El Poeto, Swiss Roc
President and Head of Rocking
Around 2006, he started in BBoying and it is in 2009, during a dance camp, that he really discovers the extent of the Hip Hop culture, and his wish grows to going to New York to meet the pioneers of this culture and to perfect his knowledge.
In 2012, his dream comes true. He spent six months with the legendary Crew "The Bronx Boys Rocking Crew" (TBB) and "Master Mind Rockers" (MMR). As the first member of MMR in Switzerland, he was given the task of developing the ROCKING or ROCK DANCE.
He meets VEGA ROC during the Summer Break sessions and in 2014, enthusiastic about what he is doing to develop the Hip Hop culture in Switzerland, he offers him, from 2015, his support to develop the SUMMER BREAK thanks to a ROCKING part and joined the LIAISONS URBAINES team.
Sébastien Robin, Seb
Treasurer and Head of Health, Prevention, and Social Affairs
He discovered hip-hop culture in the early 2000s through rap, before diving into Bboying in 2007. Very quickly, he fully committed himself to this art by training in Geneva’s practice spaces and, after three intensive years, began sharing his passion in community centers.
He took part in the outdoor sessions of the GENEVA SUMMER BREAK FESTIVAL, where he met VEGA ROC and Mr RIDDLER, founders of the association Liaisons urbaines. In 2015, he joined the festival’s organizing team and has since contributed actively to its growth.
Today, he works as a mental health and psychiatry nurse, as well as a lecturer at the Geneva School of Health Sciences. He is also training in expressive mediation through body and movement, with the aim of bridging his two worlds, mental health and hip-hop culture, to develop projects where movement becomes a tool for prevention, expression and emotional regulation, benefiting both individuals and groups.
Forever loyal to his roots, SEB proudly represents his crews Atomic Force | Sixteen Crew and Funky Force Rockers.
Pablo Ferrari
Secretary and Communications Manager
He discovered hip-hop culture a few years ago when he arrived in Geneva to study fashion and design. Initially drawn to Breaking, he soon developed a passion for the other disciplines that make up this warm and inspiring community.
As soon as he turned eighteen, he became actively involved in event production: exhibitions, dance nights, workshops, residencies, galleries, alternative spaces, and festivals. Driven by passion, he gives his time generously, considering the audience’s smile as the greatest reward.
In 2025, he founded the association Compagnia Cuori Fioriti and presented his first piece with a team of ten people at the Geneva Biennale.
After meeting Messo during a training session, the opening of La MAP became a true gem in his eyes. Sharing this common dream, he fully committed himself to Liaisons urbaines, bringing his energy and expertise to keep alive an association driven by strong values.
Bryan Somé, Messo
General and artistic coordinator of La MAP | Maison des Arts Hip-Hop
and Head of Breaking
He discovered hip-hop culture through rap and graffiti, but it was through Breaking that he truly affirmed his artistic identity. A self-taught dancer, he built his practice in Geneva’s training spots, notably on the floor of the Balexert shopping center, alongside local figures such as Bboy Ali, Mike, Fred, Salvator, Lock, and many others.
At the same time, he began sharing his passion by teaching in dance schools and community centers across the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. For more than fifteen years, he has been passing on his knowledge, developing a pedagogy inspired by hip-hop learning methods and other disciplines, which he sees as powerful tools for empowerment.
His journey has also been enriched by travels to France, England, and Montreal, broadening his artistic vision and network. Today, he proudly represents the crews Atomic Force Crew | Sixteen Crew and Funky Force Rockers, continuing to root his work in a collective dynamic.
In 2016, he joined the association Liaisons urbaines alongside Vega Roc, contributing to the development of innovative cultural projects in Geneva. Since 2024, he has also been a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Geneva School of Social Work (HETS), where he teaches a course on artistic mediation tools.
Today, as coordinator of Liaisons urbaines, he leads the project La MAP | Maison des Arts Hip-Hop, a space dedicated to creation, training, artistic and cultural mediation, and the dissemination of hip-hop disciplines. This dynamic venue aspires to become a lasting platform serving artists, audiences, and the Geneva cultural landscape.
The committee of Liaisons urbaines is supported by friends, artists, and passionate individuals who have been active for many years across all disciplines of hip-hop culture, both locally and internationally.
Among our active members, we warmly thank:
We would also like to express our deep gratitude to Alexandre Vega alias VEGA ROC and Michael Dupuis alias Mr RIDDLER, founders of the association. Their commitment and vision laid the strong foundations of Liaisons urbaines, and today we strive to continue, expand, and uphold the missions and values they instilled for over ten years.
As part of the development of our projects and events, Liaisons urbaines is always looking to collaborate with committed and passionate individuals.
Interested in joining our team? Write to us at info@liaisons.urbaines.ch
Genesis, History, Missions and Values
La MAP is a unique and unprecedented space in Geneva, created in 2025, entirely dedicated to dance forms rooted in hip-hop culture as well as other disciplines. A true artistic, cultural, and social incubator, its mission is to support creation, transmission, and encounters around the disciplines that make up this movement. Its foundations rest on strong values: innovation, quality, and sharing.
Designed as a vibrant and accessible space, La MAP aims to be a point of convergence. It hosts training sessions, workshops, artistic residencies, exhibitions, conferences, as well as festive events and moments of exchange.
All the actions carried out by La MAP share a common thread: bringing life to and nurturing connections in their artistic, educational, athletic, and social dimensions. Through its activities, it supports the transmission of knowledge, the guidance of artists, and engagement with the public.
By supporting the emergence of new talents while also valuing established paths, La MAP fosters exchange and encounters. In doing so, it contributes to embedding Hip-Hop within the artistic landscape of Geneva, Switzerland, and beyond. It aspires to become a driving force within the local associative and cultural ecosystem.
Transmission is at the very heart of La MAP’s identity. Here, dancers of all levels beginners as well as advanced find a rich and diverse space for learning. Open dance practice sessions are organized throughout the year. From regular classes to intensive workshops, and masterclasses led by international figures, the focus is always on growth, discovery, and sharing knowledge.
La MAP is also an incubator where creativity thrives within the collective. Artists find a space designed for encounters and experimentation, where disciplines interact and respond to one another. Dance practices, artistic residencies, and jams foster constant cross-pollination between generations and styles, giving rise to unique and hybrid works.
To apply for an artistic residency, write to us at info@liaisons-urbaines.ch
La MAP is not only a place for training and practice—it is also a space for visibility and artistic outreach. Throughout the year, it opens its doors to the public through special events, themed evenings, exhibitions, film screenings, and conferences. These events are conceived as moments of encounter and exchange, where hip-hop culture engages with society and reveals its artistic and social dimensions.
To propose an artistic or cultural mediation project, write to us at info@liaisons-urbaines.ch
In collaboration with professionals from the fields of care, social work, and health, La MAP develops practice spaces open to everyone, with either a therapeutic aim or a focus on well-being and prevention.
Through adapted movement workshops and group support, we foster moments of breathing, expression, and connection. These initiatives are part of a caring approach, affirming that culture and movement are also valuable tools for strengthening bonds, confidence, and self-esteem.
To discover the “Breaking & Psychomotricity” program, click on the following link: Breakdance Classes with a Psychomotor Approach for Children and Teenagers
La MAP is committed to supporting the professionalization of artists and local cultural organizations by providing shared resources: a dance studio, an office space, and an area dedicated to physical preparation. Technical equipment and access to a partner network are also made available.
For rental inquiries, write to us at info@liaisons-urbaines.ch
Located on the ground floor, La MAP opens to the outside, offering a bright and accessible environment. The space has been designed to meet the needs of dancers, with particular attention to the quality of the dance floor, sound system, and lighting, to provide an optimal setting for artistic and physical practice.
Special Conditions
Whenever possible, small scenography elements can be stored during artistic residencies.
The space is carefully designed to meet the needs of dancers, with a focus on floor quality, lighting, and sound, ensuring an environment conducive to creativity and performance.
Integrated system with Bluetooth and XLR connections. Suitable for classes, residencies, and events.
Ceiling-mounted projector facing the studio.
Consistent, high-quality lighting, designed for both artistic and physical practice.
Created and developed since 2019, Breakin’Session Is a learning space for the the dance referred to as « Break ». Since 2023, this activity completes the range of offers of the association « Liaison urbaines ».
The learning format of these unique and innovative courses differs from the usual standards offered in the majority of Geneva dance schools and other associations.
During the Breakin’Sessions, a small group of participants annually registered, learns and progresses together. The group is composed of children, adolescents, and adults, of different levels of practice.
The proposed approach is built around the work of so-called freestyle improvisation, in the tradition of the spirit of the cypher and its technical contributions related to Breaking.
Particular attention is paid to the quality of transmission and structured teaching, as well as the presentation of the Hip Hop culture in its broad sense and potential.
External speakers are invited to share their knowledge, broaden the creative spirit and nourish sources of inspiration.
Since the launch of the BREAKIN’SESSION, our goal has been to encourage encounters and build bridges between different disciplines of hip-hop culture. These moments of exchange allow us to enrich both practice and theory, by diversifying pedagogical approaches and learning methods.
We would like to warmly thank ENANO, NESTOR, LUTZ, CARLO, ELO, SEB, MASS, POETO, MANS 1, as well as everyone who has shared their knowledge, experience, and artistic journey with the group. Their commitment fully embodies the philosophy: Each One Teach One.
Would you like to take part in a Breakin’Session? Write to us at info@liaisons-urbaines.ch
“EACH ONE TEACH ONE”
For a harmonious development of the artistic disciplines of Hip Hop culture and to ensure the link between each, Liaisons Urbaines started in 2015 its youth camps with "Break & Hip Hop" in partnership with Caritas-Jeunesse. In 2016, Graff Week also joined the Liaisons Urbaines summer offer.
Transmission to younger generations and development of Hip Hop specific pedagogies has become a major issue facing the popularization of these disciplines.
At the same time, the personal development that these disciplines make possible is a reality that we could not leave behind. To know thy self better, to persevere, to respect the ancients, to widen one's horizons through knowledge, is among others, what our camps allow; without forgetting the dimension of sharing and living together.
For novice or experienced dancers, our Rocking Masterclasses allow the development of an original Brooklyn style under the direction of internationally recognized dancers such as Ringo (NYC(, Mighty Mile (NYC), Jacky (TWN), FT (RU) or Kostek (PL). On the program: steps, musicality, long burns, drops, jerks, solo, duet, and Apache Line.
An artistic village bringing all the intensity of the Hip-Hop culture through the most beautiful spots of Geneva Lake.
Cypher Masters
Bboy / BGirl
Helvetic Rock Contest
Apache line & Battles
Hip-Hop/Funk
Rare Groove
Breakbeat
Rock-Funk
Afrobeat
Live painting
We thank our partners for their support and commitment to hip-hop culture and urban arts.
Become a partner : info@liaisons-urbaines.ch
