All the way up with Lia & Marusa!

Pow, Pow, Flow, Hit, Boom - this is how it feels like when you see Lia and Marusa for the first time dancing in the cypher. Their moves and skills are filled with energy, authenticity and elegance and express a high degree of love and devotion for music. Although they are still young and do not have much experience, they are full of motivation – the sparkling in their eyes while dancing speaks a language of its own.

Ljubljana, Slovenia – Today for the first time in history a Juste Debout Qualification is taking place in the Slovenian capital. Lia Lacen has been looking forward to this Highlight for a long time. Together with her friend Marusa Jakopic aka Meki she has been changing the shapes of the scene in Slovenia and the neighboring regions since 2015. Support and motivation for both come from their own crew „Urban Clan“ and from mentor Njec Osovnikar aka Nayco who himself has been an active dancer since 2008.

Marusa comes from a small place called Gorje which is situated about 60 km north of Ljubljana. Her roots lie in the dance classes of Vesna Urek who still gives classes in her home town. Lia, on the other hand, comes from the choreography section and had not discovered her interest and passion for the urban dance culture until 2015. Above all they both feel at home in Hip Hop and Popping, but they also try to find their way into House, Locking, Dancehall and Waacking. They are openminded and willing to learn and look forward to everything lying ahead of them.

In a battle the support of the audience helps them to develop their energy and creativity. "We are always carried away by the spirit of the hyping crowd", says Marusa. The music inspires them to vary all the combinations and basics learned and developed in training in a free and informal way. This also builds a good foundation for their success and paved them the way to the Popping final at the Juste Debout in Ljubljana. Together with her mentor Nayco Lia even reached the Hip Hop final which was surely the highlight of the event. All dancers, spectators, the jury and the Juste Debout organizer Bruce Ykanji were highly impressed and rewarded them with big applause.

For the future the both young talents from Slovenia have already some great visions. Of course, later Lia and Marusa also want to pass on their knowledge to the next generation and help to share the urban culture - to give something back, so to speak. They both have understood that traveling and exchange are essential components for their personal development. Lia’s focus in this case lies on Europe while Marusa has noted down the whole world on her checklist.

Additionally Marusa who was born in April 2004 sees herself as a participant in the big battles and strives to win one or another of them. She is excited to meet all the great dancers and people on her journey and looks forward to possible mutual projects. Lia, on the other hand, is very much interested in France, its scene and its culture. For her Paris is the source of motivation and inspiration.

However, they both agree that Slovenia needs more big dance events. With their dancing they aim to show that the main focus is always on having fun and experiencing joy. This way they can always be sure that they do what makes them happy. Their crew „Urban Clan“ play hereby a major role: they give them the necessary support and the familiar surroundings. Together they have big plans and are willing to make a contribution to the scene.