A class of ballet students will trade instruction at their East New York high school for 10 days in Basel, Switzerland, training under the wing of Armando Braswell next spring.
Braswell, who was born and raised in Bed-Stuy, founded his own dance school, the Braswell Arts Center, with his wife, Lisa, in 2017. Braswell’s institution is where students from the Performing Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) will be based during their travel to Basel.
But the teenagers aren’t flying across the pond alone for the trip — they’ll be accompanied by their tough but loving dance instructor, Marcella Jones, from Clinton Hill. For 19 years, Jones has taught at PATHS, rigorously training Brooklyn students to approach dance with a mindset that goes beyond the classroom.
“I teach it with the mind that lets young people know that this can be a career for you,” Jones told BK Reader. “So it's not just a place to go, just to hang out.”
Braswell himself is one of Jones' former students, back when he was a student at J.H.S. 258 in Bed-Stuy, where Jones previously taught before coming to PATHS. This student-teacher connection served as a launchpad for Braswell’s career in dance, a large part of his journey to opening his namesake school.
“Whether you become a dancer or not, hey, that's your choice; you can talk about it with your priest,” said Braswell. “But here, we're going to really do it the right way — and I took that from Ms. Jones."
During middle school, Braswell didn’t initially recognize his true talent as a dancer. But it was Jones’s persistence that propelled him into LaGuardia High School, one of the most renowned performing arts schools in New York City.
“Well, Armando evaded me for two whole years, from sixth to seventh grade, and then finally, in eighth grade, he said, ‘I'm gonna come to your class,’” said Jones. “Right away, he was a natural."
Since being a student of Jones, Braswell has made several strides for himself outside of Brooklyn, moving to pursue several opportunities at German dance institutions before calling Switzerland his home in 2012.
“The truth is, she never stopped being the support for me,” said Braswell. “Throughout my life, if I'm ever in New York, we touch base. And that's why this [student trip to Basel] is so special. Because it's always been love."
Their Brooklyn upbringing touches every aspect of their lives, even in their instruction.
“If I had to pick one thing, it’d be in the dancing — in Brooklyn, we keep it real,” said Braswell. “So when I teach, I try to keep it clear and always try to tell people things not to be hurtful, but just so they’re aware. And I find that people appreciate that.”
Jones echoes this sentiment of being upfront in her teaching.
“A lot of Brooklyn is in my teaching, and I think of Brooklyn as a cultural place,” said Jones. “In Brooklyn, you have to keep it real, and you do it with your own children.”
Braswell said the trip to Switzerland encompasses a bit of Brooklyn passion as well.
“It’s not just about Black kids getting the experience,” said Braswell. “It’s about Brooklyn — taking those kids from where we are from — I’m looking out for my hood.”
Braswell sees himself in many of the Brooklyn students at PATHS, he said. Although the trip will last just 10 days, he expects the students to come prepared to make adjustments in a new city.
“They're gonna have to fend for themselves in a different country, in a different language, in a different culture; they’re gonna learn,” said Braswell. “Now you need something from someone, but you can’t speak their language. What are you gonna do?”
Being the firm educator she is, Jones said she has no problem throwing her students into the deep end of navigating a new space, no matter the proximity to home.
“To dance, there has to be a fearlessness because you have to get out in front of how many people and bear your soul, mistakes and all,” said Jones. “I know my kids are ready for that."
To contribute to the fundraiser for the trip, click here.
.png;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
