After a year of encounters across Italy and Slovakia, the European project arrives at The World Battle, bringing breaking, personal development and mental well-being into the heart of Porto’s urban culture scene
Porto, 11/08/2026 — A journey that began in Alba and continued through L’Aquila and Banská Bystrica is now heading to its final destination. From 24 to 30 August, Breaking The Walls will be in Porto as part of The World Battle, bringing the project’s programme of breaking, youth development and mental well-being to one of Europe’s major urban culture festivals.
The Porto chapter marks the latest stage of a two-year European project supported by the European Union. Throughout its journey, Breaking The Walls has worked with young people in different countries and cultural settings, exploring how breaking can create opportunities for self-expression, confidence, resilience and connection.
Its 2026 programme opened with Albattle in Italy, followed by Check The Style in L’Aquila and Outbreak Europe in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. Each destination offered a different setting and community, while keeping the project’s central idea at the forefront: using breaking not simply as an athletic or artistic practice, but as a space in which young people can develop themselves and connect with others.
In Porto, the final activities will be delivered in partnership with MXM Art Center and The World Battle. The programme includes two workshops: Polish breaker Kleju will lead the first on Thursday, 27 August, while French B-Girl San Andrea will lead the second on Friday, 28 August. The project will then reach its final showcase on Saturday, 29 August, with the participating young people taking part at the festival’s main venue.
“The European project Breaking the Walls, coordinated from Italy, represents an inspiring example of how urban culture and breaking can serve as powerful tools for social transformation, inclusion, and personal development,” says Max Oliveira, founder of MXM Art Center and director of The World Battle. “In partnership with MXM and connected to World Battle and other internationally recognized events, the project aims to break down cultural, social, and geographical barriers, creating opportunities for young people to develop skills, strengthen their employability, build a vision for their future, and experience the richness of multiculturalism through the exchange of experiences with participants from different countries.“
The move to Porto also brings the project into a festival whose own programme reflects the breadth of contemporary urban culture. The World Battle, running from 24 to 30 August, combines breaking with skateboarding, surfing, rope jumping, strongman and other urban sports, alongside concerts, freestyle rap, exhibitions, workshops and talks.
For Breaking The Walls, this setting provides the final meeting point between the different communities and experiences that have shaped the project over the past two years. Participants have travelled between countries, encountered different breaking scenes and cultures, and developed connections that go beyond the individual activities.
“The fact that the culmination of the project will take place in Portugal, as part of World Battle, further reinforces the international recognition of the country, the city of Porto, and the event itself as leading platforms for the promotion of culture, innovation, and European cooperation,” adds Oliveira.
The project was developed around the idea of giving Gen Z the competencies and spaces to strengthen mental resilience and psychological capacities. Its starting point is a contemporary tension: young people are increasingly connected through digital spaces while, in some cases, becoming more disconnected offline and finding it difficult to build positive relationships with others.
Breaking has provided one of the tools through which the project has addressed this challenge. Alongside the development of athletic skills, the programme has incorporated Dance Movement Therapy, a practice increasingly recognised in psychological research for using movement to support psychological well-being. Workshops and activities across Italy, Slovakia and Portugal have brought together breaking trainers, mental health professionals and Dance Movement Therapists.
The project has also placed importance on the experience of travelling itself. Moving between countries has allowed participants to discover places they had not previously encountered, meet people from different backgrounds and experience the wider cultural dimension of being part of an international breaking community.
“Breaking The Walls was born from a simple idea: that breaking can be much more than a dance. It can become a space where young people learn to understand themselves, challenge their limits and connect with others,” says Enrico Signa, founder of Breaking The Walls. “Over the past two years, we have seen this idea develop across different countries and communities. From Alba to L’Aquila, from Banská Bystrica to Porto, every event has added a different piece to the project.“
With the aim of reaching an audience of over 500’000 young people across Italy, Slovakia and Portugal, Breaking The Walls has used movement, creativity and human connection to explore the different kinds of barriers young people can encounter — cultural, social, geographical and personal.
Porto now provides the setting for the project’s final chapter, bringing together the young people, practitioners and communities that have contributed to its European journey.
The full Breaking The Walls timeline and applications for selected sessions are available at breakingthewalls.eu and on Instagram @breakingthewalls.eu.
