ARUNA VERMEULEN is an award winning b-girl from Rotterdam, a city in The Netherlands known for its rich b-boy culture. Aruna has been breaking since 1998 when she was introduced to the b-boy scene by members of Freezone, the crew she joined later on. As most of the Freezone members are old school b-boys, they aren’t as active as they used to be. Through her work, Aruna bridges the gap with the new generation in performances, battles and cyphers. By uniting different HipHop generations in Rotterdam, Aruna and her friends founded the HipHopHuis in 2002 through government and community support, and serves as the Director. HipHopHuis attracted 200 hip hop devotees. Now, 20 international artists teach 20,000 people every year. Its 40-plus workshops span beat making and DJing to popping and vogueing. In 2012, the crew moved to bigger premises in the city and soon after, Aruna, received a recognition award from the City of Rotterdam for her work in the arts. “It was the first time someone from the hip hop community had been acknowledged by the city. It was awesome.” In addition, they produce the monthly talk show “My Bio”, where prominent artists from the Hip Hop scene have their say about their careers, choices and codes. Aruna also founded the popular Street Science International Hip Hop Festival and is also a member of The Fly Force, an all female crew from the Netherlands that represent various elements of HipHop.