Dance Basel is a new dance festival in Basel during the Art Basel week. In collaboration with Theater Basel Public Foyer, this festival is free to the Basel public with a goal of showcasing the work of talented young choreographers in different stages of their development. Dance Basel is an inclusive festival is dedicated to establishing a high-quality platform, including minority choreographers, from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders and sexual orientations.
What are the challenges that you are facing?
Covid remains a challenge at this time. Even though life seems to be getting back on track, many companies have fallen behind on programming and have had to reschedule their programs from two years ago. So even when a director is interested in the work of a choreographer, it may take until the season of 2025 to be booked. So you have to be very patient
What gives you the most joy about choreographing a new piece?
It’s like creating a new machine with different tools each time. You have to find out where each piece goes, in which order to place them, which direction, which speed etc…
What is your current inspiration?
I get a lot of inspiration from fashion designers. Not only the clothes but also their fashion show. I love to observe the universe of each one and try to understand why a designer made this choice and what makes them have such a singular aesthetic.
Are you working on something right now besides the Dance Basel Festival? If yes, what is it about?
Yes, I have several creations coming up so I’m starting to prepare for that. I’m really excited because each company I’m going to create has a very different style from each other. I’m going to have to adapt and that’s what I love most about this job.
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. www.armandobraswell.com
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