The company

It all began in Lyon, more than twenty-five years ago…

At the time, breakdancing was becoming increasingly popular and gradually establishing itself as a major phenomenon in urban culture in France. On the steps of the Lyon Opera House, a group of enthusiastic young people formed: the Pockemon Crew. Very quickly, they set themselves an ambitious challenge—to win the “Grand Slam” of the biggest international breakdancing competitions—in order to assert their style and vision and gain recognition for their discipline.

Driven by their high standards, team spirit, and commitment, they achieved this goal and became the most successful breakdancing company in the world, a status they still hold today.

A discipline straddling sport and the performing arts, breakdancing struggled to find its place in theaters in the early 2000s. In 2004, Riyad Fghani, the collective’s founding figure and driving force, initiated a decisive shift by setting aside the spontaneity of battles: the Pockemon Crew transformed into a company, and breakdancing within the collective became part of an artistic writing and choreographic creation process. With Sii…si!, the first piece in the repertoire, Riyad Fghani revealed the full expressive power, technicality, and narrative force of hip-hop. The Pockemon style established itself: precise, committed, rooted in the energy of battle, it draws on the values that underpin this culture—respect, perseverance, pushing oneself beyond one’s limits, and open-mindedness.

Pioneers, the Pockemon are among the first hip-hop artists to have crossed the threshold of major cultural institutions. In 2003, they joined the Opéra de Lyon, where they were in residence for ten years. In parallel with their choreographic activities, they developed tailor-made projects—performances, demonstrations,
battles—and a real culture of transmission that contributed to the democratization of hip-hop and the recognition of the company by the
general public.

True to the spirit of transmission that drives hip-hop culture, the company’s members have trained more than 6,000 people through their workshops and training courses in France and internationally.

True to the spirit of transmission that drives hip-hop culture, the company’s members have trained more than 6,000 people through their workshops and training courses in France and abroad. Today, the sixth generation of professional dancers, most of whom have come through the Pockemon Crew’s educational program, are carrying the torch for the company.

With a repertoire of thirteen choreographic pieces combining artistic excellence and cultural commitment, ambitious projects combining stage creation, education, and performance, and more than one million spectators in over 50 countries, the Pockemon Crew is today one of the most emblematic, pioneering, and contemporary collectives on the contemporary hip-hop scene.

With a repertoire of thirteen choreographic pieces combining artistic excellence and cultural commitment, ambitious projects combining stage creation, education and performance, and more than a million spectators in over 50 countries, the Pockemon Crew is today one of the most emblematic, pioneering and contemporary hip-hop collectives on the scene.

Riyad Fghani

It all began in Lyon, more than twenty-five years ago…

Born in 1979 near Chalon-sur-Saône, Riyad Fghani discovered hip-hop dance as a teenager, introduced to it by his older brother and his friends. He quickly found a place to express himself and meet people on the steps of the Opéra de Lyon, which led to the creation of the Pockemon Crew in 1999, a collective that he helped to bring together and raise to the highest international level…

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Years

Dancers

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Choreographic creations

In 2000, Riyad had a decisive experience when he joined the Paris National Opera (Opéra Bastille) for the play La Chauve-Souris, directed by Coline Serreau and choreographed by Laura Scozzi. This unprecedented immersion for a hip-hop dancer brought him into contact with contemporary and classical artists, circus performers, mimes, and actors, broadening his vision of movement, the stage, and
choreographic writing.

In 2003, with the dancers of the Pockemon Crew, he entered the Opéra de Lyon, where the company would be in residence for ten years. Since 2004, Riyad has been the company’s artistic director and has created thirteen choreographic pieces, combining high standards, poetry, and commitment. Among his most recent notable creations are Nineteen (2021), a socially conscious ecological fable; Contrappunto
(2022), a unique collaboration with the Lyon Opera Ballet; and De la rue aux Jeux (2024), which traces the unique epic of breakdancing and, between the lines, the history of the Pockemon Crew. In 2025, Riyad created #Hashtag Déclic, his latest work for young audiences, in which he deploys a choreography of the digital body and explores the troubled beauty of a world bent over screens.

A renowned dancer and choreographer, Riyad places transmission at the heart of his approach. For nearly twenty years, he has been training and supporting young dancers, revealing several generations of performers who today constitute the living DNA of the company.
Renowned for his precision, vision, and strategic mind, Riyad Fghani is considered one of the major artists of his generation. His career, marked by intersections between street culture and institutions, battles and stages, has shaped a unique language. His artistic commitment has helped build the repertoire and reputation of the Pockemon Crew by developing a demanding style that combines virtuosity, storytelling, and a sense of movement.