On a beautiful evening in Basel, I had the honor of witnessing something truly special: our Braswell Arts Center Pre-Professional dancers took the stage at the 20-year celebration of Crescenda, and my wife, Lisa Braswell, was invited as one of the keynote speakers.

It was a moment where art and activism, community and culture, movement and message, all came together in powerful harmony.

For those who may not know, Crescenda is a powerhouse of purpose in Basel—a nonprofit organization that has spent the last two decades empowering migrant women entrepreneurs. Through mentorship, training, and community, they provide the tools needed for these women to develop and launch businesses, build confidence, and thrive in Swiss society. Lisa is a proud graduate.

Our Pre-Professional Program dancers were invited to perform as part of the evening’s program, and I could not have been prouder of what they brought to that stage. We choreographed a new piece inspired by the stories of the women who have been impacted by Crescenda. They danced not only for themselves, but in honor of all the women whose stories helped build the foundation of Crescenda.

One of the most moving parts of the evening was seeing Lisa, my wife and co-creator in life and work, stand before the audience and share her own journey.

As an American woman living and working in Switzerland, Lisa offered a perspective that was deeply relatable to many in the room. She spoke not only of her personal experience navigating identity, culture, and entrepreneurship, but also of the power of community—how being supported, believed in, and welcomed can change the course of a life.

Her speech was met with warm applause and heartfelt reactions. As her husband, I stood in the back of the room just beaming with pride.

To have our dancers participate and to see Lisa honored in this way was a full-circle moment. This is what it means to build bridges—not just across cultures, but across generations and art forms too.

A heartfelt thank you to Crescenda for 20 years of transformative work and for including us in this celebration.  And of course, thank you to our Pre-Professional dancers, who brought everything they had to the stage.

This is why we do what we do.
This is how we keep Basel moving.