SUMMER DANCE WORKSHOPS
Join us this summer for special dance workshops at the Braswell Arts Center. Offering many new styles for all levels and all ages.
No previous experience necessary and join as many classes as you like.
July 5th - July 8th
July 12th - July 14th
July 19th - July 23rd
July 26th - July 30th
August 2nd - August 6th
August 9th - August 13th
FREE for BAC-Unlimited Abo Members
Non-BAC Members:
CHF 30 per class
CLASS SCHEDULE
SUMMERWOKSHOPS TRAILER BY MAX ZACHRISSON
To book your class, please visit the SCHEDULE page and select the class you would like to join to pay directly via credit card.
For BAC Members, please make your class reservations as usual.
If you prefer to pay via bank transfer, please send an email to admin@braswellartscenter.com with the date and time of the class you would like to join.
Please send your payments to the following account:
Braswell Arts Center
IBAN: CH230023323320149401W
BIC: UBSWCHZH80A
Please note your place is not reserved until your payment has been received.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us anytime!
CLASSICAL BALLET
CINTHIA LABARONNE
Cinthia Labaronne was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received her ballet formation at the Colon Theatre’s Institute of Art in Buenos Aires. In 1990 she won the Revelation Award at the Varna Competiton and The Encouragement Award in 1992. At the age of 14, she started to work with the Ballet Argentino in Buenos Aires (Director: Julio Bocca) and two years after, she became a member of the Colon Theatre Ballet Company. In 1993, she was invited to Australia by Rudolf Nureyev to join the “Nureyev Farewell Tour”. In 1994, Maximiliano Guerra chose her to be his partner for his performances at the Theatre de Colon and the Municipal Theater in Buenos Aires. Soon after, she was selected by the choreographer Pierre Lacotte for the title role in his Ballet “La Sylphide” with Maximiliano Guerra as partner at the Colon Theater. At the age of 18, Pierre Lacotte invited her to join the Ballet National de Nancy as Principal Dancer. In 2011 Richard Wherlock invited her to join the Ballett Basel. She has performed every major role in the classical repertoire and has toured extensively throughout Europe, South America and Cuba and has performed in some of the world’s greatest theaters such as the Theatre de Colon in Buenos Aires and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, performed works of Lacotte, Bournonville, Petipa, Spada, Nureyev, Balanchine, Fokine, Kylian, Wherlock, Delente, Duboc, Pietragalla, Malandain, Redha, Brumachon, Cachulianau, Prejlocaj. In 2013, Cinthia joined the staff of Ballettschule Theater Basel and is teaching there classical ballet until today. Since 2015, she is coaching Richard Wherlock’s solos for the Prix de Lausanne.
AYAKO NAKANO
Ayako Nakano was born in Japan and began her training in Tokyo. During her training she won the Tokyo Ballet Competition, the Asia Pacific Ballet Competition and in 1992 the Prix de Lausanne Scholarship Prize, which took her to the Royal Ballet School in London. In 1994 she became a soloist with the Ballet of Zurich Opera. She also danced at the Theater Köln, the Staatstheater Saarbrücken and the Komische Oper Berlin. Since 2001 she has been with the Ballett Theater Basel. During this time she has performed many solo roles, mainly in the works of Richard Wherlock. She danced works by choreographers such as William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, Johan Inger, Alexander Ekman and others. In 2013, she was a coach at the Prix de Lausanne.
BRIAN MCNEAL
Brian McNeal was born and raised in NYC. There he trained as under the guidance of his mentors John Michael Goring and Eleo Pomare. He was a scholarship student at The Ailey School (NY), The Joffrey Ballet School (NY) and Springboard Danse (Montreal). In 2005 he received his BFA degree from The Juilliard School and joined Balletttheater München. In 2007, he then joined Kevin O’Day Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim as a soloist. In 2011, he received the Arnold-Peterson Prize for his role as Romeo in O’Day’s “Romeo und Julia”. As a choreographer, Brian has choreographed for the Kevin O’Day Ballett and for the “Choreografische Werkstatt” at the Nationaltheater. He has presented work at the Felina-Areal Theater in Mannheim for various festivals. He is currently working as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and teacher and is a Crossfit Athlete.
PILATES
LUCHES HUDDLESTON, JR.
Luches Huddleston, Jr. was born in the United States of America. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where he began dancing at the age of 3. During his early training, he attended the Lynn B. Welters School of Dance and the Jones-Haywood Dance School. He began his professional dance career in the DC Youth Ensemble. At the age of 19, Luches received a scholarship to the world-renowned Alvin Ailey School in New York. There he continued to improve his dance technique in ballet, jazz and modern dance, focusing on the modern dance techniques of Lester Horton as well as Katherine Dunham. In 1991, Luches became a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and came on tour to Munich, Germany. This was the beginning of his international artistic career. During this time he became a principal dancer at the National Theater in Mannheim under Phillippe Talard. While dancing with the company, he developed an interest in choreography and was awarded a prize for his entry "Across the Lines" at the International Choreography Competition in Hanover. He has also worked as a soloist at the Zurich Opera House, the Staatstheater Kassel and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. In 2004 he returned to the NTM to dance with Kevin O'Day and Dominique Dumais. Luches has worked with choreographers such as Hans Van Manen, Mats Ek, Jorma Uotinen, Jean Renshaw and Pierre Wyss. In 2007, he became director of the Movement Choir Ensemble, which specializes in movement and dance scenes for the NTM's opera. In addition to his work with the Movement Chorus Ensemble, Luches works closely with guest directors and the opera chorus, and also trains members for solo performances in repertory pieces or new productions. He has worked on productions with guest directors such as Achim Freyer, Nicolas Brieger, Tilman Knabe and Andrea Schwalbach. His training, coaching and choreography work can be found in opera productions such as Die lustige Witwe, Parsifal or Wie werde ich reich und glücklich? but also in the theater production Leonce und Lena. In addition, Luches has conducted numerous dance workshops with young people, choreographed dance pieces for the NTM dance company, and directed full-length dance events for the Schnawwl Kinder- und Jugend-Theater Mannheim. His work for Schnawwl includes Risk, a dance piece for and with the actors of Schnawwl Theater and also the production for young people Denn sie wissen nicht, was Sie tun. His dance choreography has been performed in theaters throughout Germany as well as at the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Austria and for ProArte Dance Company in Toronto, Canada. Full Bloom, a collaboration with Kevin O'Day and Robert Glumbek, was nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards in Toronto, Canada. Other works include My Fair Lady for the Lucerne Theatre, The Merry Widow for the Oldenburg State Theatre and Frau Luna for the Krefeld Theatre. In addition to his choreographic and teaching work, Luches is a certified Body Balance Pilates instructor and leads related workshops throughout Germany.
JAZZ
BRIAN MCNEAL
Brian McNeal was born and raised in NYC. There he trained as under the guidance of his mentors John Michael Goring and Eleo Pomare. He was a scholarship student at The Ailey School (NY), The Joffrey Ballet School (NY) and Springboard Danse (Montreal). In 2005 he received his BFA degree from The Juilliard School and joined Balletttheater München. In 2007, he then joined Kevin O’Day Ballett Nationaltheater Mannheim as a soloist. In 2011, he received the Arnold-Peterson Prize for his role as Romeo in O’Day’s “Romeo und Julia”. As a choreographer, Brian has choreographed for the Kevin O’Day Ballett and for the “Choreografische Werkstatt” at the Nationaltheater. He has presented work at the Felina-Areal Theater in Mannheim for various festivals. He is currently working as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and teacher and is a Crossfit Athlete.
HORTON
LUCHES HUDDLESTON, JR.
Luches Huddleston, Jr. was born in the United States of America. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where he began dancing at the age of 3. During his early training, he attended the Lynn B. Welters School of Dance and the Jones-Haywood Dance School. He began his professional dance career in the DC Youth Ensemble. At the age of 19, Luches received a scholarship to the world-renowned Alvin Ailey School in New York. There he continued to improve his dance technique in ballet, jazz and modern dance, focusing on the modern dance techniques of Lester Horton as well as Katherine Dunham. In 1991, Luches became a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and came on tour to Munich, Germany. This was the beginning of his international artistic career. During this time he became a principal dancer at the National Theater in Mannheim under Phillippe Talard. While dancing with the company, he developed an interest in choreography and was awarded a prize for his entry "Across the Lines" at the International Choreography Competition in Hanover. He has also worked as a soloist at the Zurich Opera House, the Staatstheater Kassel and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. In 2004 he returned to the NTM to dance with Kevin O'Day and Dominique Dumais. Luches has worked with choreographers such as Hans Van Manen, Mats Ek, Jorma Uotinen, Jean Renshaw and Pierre Wyss. In 2007, he became director of the Movement Choir Ensemble, which specializes in movement and dance scenes for the NTM's opera. In addition to his work with the Movement Chorus Ensemble, Luches works closely with guest directors and the opera chorus, and also trains members for solo performances in repertory pieces or new productions. He has worked on productions with guest directors such as Achim Freyer, Nicolas Brieger, Tilman Knabe and Andrea Schwalbach. His training, coaching and choreography work can be found in opera productions such as Die lustige Witwe, Parsifal or Wie werde ich reich und glücklich? but also in the theater production Leonce und Lena. In addition, Luches has conducted numerous dance workshops with young people, choreographed dance pieces for the NTM dance company, and directed full-length dance events for the Schnawwl Kinder- und Jugend-Theater Mannheim. His work for Schnawwl includes Risk, a dance piece for and with the actors of Schnawwl Theater and also the production for young people Denn sie wissen nicht, was Sie tun. His dance choreography has been performed in theaters throughout Germany as well as at the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Austria and for ProArte Dance Company in Toronto, Canada. Full Bloom, a collaboration with Kevin O'Day and Robert Glumbek, was nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards in Toronto, Canada. Other works include My Fair Lady for the Lucerne Theatre, The Merry Widow for the Oldenburg State Theatre and Frau Luna for the Krefeld Theatre. In addition to his choreographic and teaching work, Luches is a certified Body Balance Pilates instructor and leads related workshops throughout Germany.
CONTEMPORARY
CLYDE ARCHER
Clyde Emmanuel Archer was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Barbados W.I. before returning to New York City where he began his training with Eliot Feld’s BalletTech school (Feld Ballet / The New Ballet School) Later, he attended the Professional Performing Arts School, while simultaneously training at The Ailey School. Clyde then studied at The Juilliard School, and receive his BFA in dance under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. In 1997, Clyde received a level 1 Arts award from the Arts Recognition and Talent Search foundation and a presidential scholar award. In 2000 he received the Princess Grace Award and was invited by Eliot Feld as a guest artist with BalletTech. Clyde’s has worked with Compañía Nacional de Danza with Nacho Duato, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Gothenburg Opera Ballet, Cullberg Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet where he performed works by Mats Ek, and Sasha Waltz and Guest, and is currently working with Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar ́s L-E-V Dance Company.
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 collaboration and the creation of new works of art and to promote networking and entrepreneurship within the local and international arts community.
WILLIAM BRISCOE
William Briscoe began his dance training at the Repertory Dance Company of East Harlem at age 10. He went on to train at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, while also performing in Aida at the Metropolitan Opera House, Merce Cunningham Dance Center and later received his BFA from The Juilliard School in 2003. Upon graduation William became a leading member of Aszure Barton & Artists, where he currently still performs. He has performed with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Hell's Kitchen Dance. Toured with Robert Battle’s, Battleworks. He joined the abcdancecompany, in St. Polten, Austria and Geneva, Switzerland, working with various choreographers and director and choreographer, Nicolas Musin. He danced for Kyle Abraham/ A.I.M. He toured Italy with Alessandra Ferri’s Evolution tour in 2015. Mr. Briscoe works closely with Roger C. Jeffrey, choreographer and dance professor at George Mason University. In the capacity of dancer/assistant on numerous projects. Briscoe was cast in the remake of the movie HAIRSPRAY.He has collaborated with European dancers and choreographers for many years. Mr Briscoe has performed with Vogue Evolution, who appeared on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew on Season 4. Mr. Briscoe has taught classes at Goucher College, LaGuardia HS of the Performing Arts & Music and Art, Adelphi University, Bolshoi Ballet in Curitiba, Brazil, Jacob’s Pillow, with Aszure Barton & Artists, Repertory Dance Company of East Harlem, Third Dance, The Juilliard School with Cherice Barton, The Playground, ESOTA in Queens, NY. Mr. Briscoe assisted Aszure Barton on Lift, a creation for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. He’s collaborated with Brice Mousset on French Armour,with Oui Danse. In 2014, William was rehearsal director and co-choreographer for the Shadow Box Theatre production, The Earth and Me, directed and written by Sandy Robbins. He conducts Master Classes in Jazz, Contemporary/Modern dance at the Steffi Nossen School of Dance. Currently, William is on Modern dance faculty at Adelphi University. Where he has created works for Dance Adelphi and independent performance study projects. He is also on faculty at Fusion Dance Centre in Roselle Park, NJ. In Summer of 2017, William created Notions of Beauty:Mone’ah Leezah Smile, at BAAD(Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance) during a one week residency. He has received awards for his choreography at Dance Competitions. Most recently, Briscoe strutted his stuff for Kinky Bootspromo commercial, “Feel the joy.” He danced and choreographed for music recording artist, Joan as Policewoman, music video “Damned Devotion.”
LYRICAL JAZZ
CARLOS KERR JR.
Carlos Kerr Jr. was born in 1992 in Brooklyn, New York. In 2010 he joined Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and continued his training with the Ailey / Fordham BFA program, where he graduated cum laude in 2014. He is the recipient The Eiger Scholarship and the Glorya Kaufman Dance Foundation Scholarship and also won full scholarships for the Manhattan Youth Ballet, The School at Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Program, Complexions Contemporary Ballet Intensive, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Springboard Danse Montreal. Carlos Kerr Jr. performed as a guest artist with the New Jersey Academy of Dance Arts from 2011 to 2013 and in 2012 with the Westchester Ballet Company. He also worked with alongside Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre from 2010 to 2013 and danced with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet from 2013 to 2014. He has danced in works by Stign Celis, William Forsythe, Barack Marshall, Victor Quijada, Alejandro Cerrudo, Andrea Miller, Bryan Arias, Loni Landon, Earl Mosley, Malcolm low, Hofesh Schecter and Itzik Galili, among others. Carlos has been a member of the ballet company at the theater Ulm in Germany since the 2015-2016 season.
YOGA
WILLIAM BRISCOE
William Briscoe begann seine Tanzausbildung im Alter von 10 Jahren in East Harlem an der „Repertory Dance Company“. In späteren Jahren folgten Ausbildungen an der „LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts“, „Merce Cunningham Dance Center“ bis zu seinem öffentlichen Abschluss an der renommierten „Juilliard School“. In späterer Folge war er Mitglied unterschiedlichster Tanzensembles in den USA aber auch in Europa. In Erinnerung bleiben ihm dabei Auftritte gemeinsam mit Mikhael Baryshnikov und „Hell´s Kitchen Dance“. Für das Filmremake von „Hairspray“ wurde er gecastet und er war Mitglied von „Vogue Evolution“, die in MTV´s „American Best Dance Crew“ im TV zu sehen war. In der Folge unterrichtete er zahlreiche Meisterklassen in den USA und Europa. Für seine Choreographien erzielte er zahlreiche Auszeichnungen bei unterschiedlichen Tanzwettbewerben.