11.02.2026 14:00-18:00
Open to all
UMA Vernier
On one side, Switzerland; on the other, Madagascar. Océane Haja Maréchal, known on the electro scene as “HAJA” @haja.oceane, carries this dual heritage within her. Rocked from childhood by the rhythms of Malagasy parties, she made dance her language of expression.
Her journey is a quest for movement that takes shape at the age of 16. After training in the rigor of academic lines in Lausanne, her encounter with her first great love—House Dance—took her to New York in the fall of 2016. Immersing herself in the energy of club culture and in Sekou Heru’s classes, she found a new sense of freedom and reconnected with the need to express her Afro-descendant identity through her body. Returning to Europe in 2017, she continued her training at Juste Debout School in Paris. Her presence caught the attention of choreographer Laura Nala during an audition for a choreography competition.
However, it was in the spark of Electro that her true revelation occurred, trained by Brandon Miel Masele. Seeking absolute sincerity and surrender, Haja stepped into the battle arena—where the body cannot lie and where, despite the pressure, the urgency of the moment creates the movement. This visibility led her, in 2021, to join Cie Mazelfreten @mazelfreten, with whom she now tours internationally in the show “Rave Lucid”, notably performing at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.
Between Lausanne and Paris, she actively promotes electro dance in Switzerland by organizing workshops and teaching classes in schools across the Lake Geneva region.
Today, her dance seeks to create a subtle dialogue: blending the fluid footwork inherited from House with the striking technicality of Electro, all infused with a unique flow. A vibrant signature—both radiant and deeply fragile.
Following this first workshop, UMA aims to launch a regular program of workshops and events to develop this powerful dance form and mode of expression at the local level.
Upcoming dates:
• 11.03.2026 / Workshop with Haja / Open to all
• 22.04.2026 / Workshop with Haja / Open to all
• 02.05.2026 / Electro Event (Intensive Workshop & Battle Exhibition), in collaboration with Miel Malboneige @malboneige / Open to the public
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info@urbanmoveacademy.ch
+41 (0)22 980 99 95
