HISTORY
After many years of thinking of a way to bridge the gap between art and the public, the idea for the Braswell Arts Center was born. Since 2017, the BAC provides a space for creativity, collaboration and innovation in all art forms. We are proud to offer dance classes and other artistic experiences for all ages, levels, and body types as well as create fresh initiatives for underprivileged children and development opportunities for emerging artists. The BAC is available for dance performances, concerts, gallery exhibitions, and special events. Through arts education and exchange, the BAC strives to encourage collaboration, creation, networking and entrepreneurship within the local and international arts community.
ARMANDO BRASWELL
Armando Braswell is a professional dancer and teacher from New York City. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from The Juilliard School in 2006, Armando danced with Ballett Theater Munich, Gauthier Dance Stuttgart and just recently completed his final season as a soloist with Ballett Theater Basel.
Aside from his dancing career, Armando has established himself as a guest teacher in high demand, teaching amateurs and professionals worldwide, including at the Prix De Lausanne and the Juilliard School. Armando has also choreographed for many dance and opera stages, as well as television.
In addition to his artistic activities, Armando is also active in the journalistic and social media fields. His popular arts blog, "Interview En L'air", has become widely known in the international dance scene and earned him a place at "Dance For You Magazine” as a permanent correspondent and his media company “Creative Promotional Media” has earned him opportunities to work with clients such as Fondation Beyeler, Basellandschaftliche Kantonal Bank and Theater Basel in Switzerland.
In 2015, Armando began to build an arts community in Basel where dancers of all levels and all body types could train in a supportive and professional environment. This idea has since expanded and in 2017, he and his wife Lisa founded the “Braswell Arts Center” – a space for innovation and collaboration in all art forms located in Basel, Switzerland – and in 2019, they officially founded the “Braswell Arts Association,” a non-profit arts organization dedicated to support emerging and established artists. Through arts education and exchange, Armando hopes to encourage young choreographers and to promote mentorship and inclusion within the local and international arts community.
LISA BRASWELL
Lisa Braswell is an ex-dancer from New York City. After graduating from LaGuardia High School Dance Department, Lisa attended Purchase University and Hunter College in New York. She carried her love of dance to her position as Office Manager of one of the most successful instructional dance video companies in the United States. Lisa has administrative experience on an international scale, working for companies in New York, Germany and Basel and in 2015, she successfully completed the Business Course for Female Founders at the Crescenda Founding Center located in Basel, Switzerland. Together with her husband Armando, the couple founded the popular Basel arts space called the ``Braswell Arts Center`` in 2017. This idea has since expanded to include the ``Braswell Arts Association`` in 2019--a not-for-profit arts association created to bridge the gap between the arts, artists and the community as well as provide opportunities for artistic development and education.