Ripples #74

Compiled and written by Lenny Giteck

Are We in a New Golden Age
Of Aquatic Entertainment? America’s golden age of swimming and diving as entertainment took place in the 1940s and ’50s, largely thanks to the beauty and aquatic prowess of the legendary Esther Williams. When it came to over-the-top spectacle, the series of “aquamusicals” in which she starred rivaled the most elaborate Busby Berkeley land-locked extravaganzas. (In fact, Berkeley was the choreographer for Williams’ 1952 movie “Million Dollar Mermaid.”)

Earlier, movie-goers in the ’30s and ’40s thrilled to the aquatic exploits of Olympic swimming champion Johnny Weismuller in his movie role as Tarzan — especially when Weismuller, supposedly swimming across wild African rivers, invariably engaged in life-and-death wrestling matches with huge, obviously fake alligators.

Now it appears that America’s appreciation for the entertainment value of swimming and diving may have entered a new golden age. Consider the following:

Water Shows

In Las Vegas, O has packed in audiences at the Bellagio since 1998. The Cirque du Soleil production is performed in a dedicated, 1,800-seat theater that sports a 1.5-million-gallon pool. Meanwhile over at the Wynn, Le Rêve (“The Dream” in French) has been wowing audiences since 2005.

Renowned Italian-Belgian theater director Franco Dragone, the original creator of Le Rêve (the show is now wholly owned by Steve Wynn), has opened a similar production — but one reportedly bigger and even more spectacular — at a hotel in the Chinese gambling destination of Macau.

Finally, aquatic entertainment has set sail: Royal Caribbean’s new ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have onboard swimming and diving shows.

Synchronized Swimming

Synchronized swimming routines featuring beautiful young women were a staple of Esther Williams’ aquamusicals — and today they’re back as an entertainment genre. A pro synchronized swimming company called Aqualillies, launched in Los Angeles, now boasts separate troupes in seven other cities.

The Aqualillies have appeared on the Fox series “Glee,” on ABC’s “Splash” (see Celebrity Diving below) and in the music video for “Beauty and a Beat” (Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj). A Las Vegas Aqualillies show reportedly is in the works, as is a line of Aqualillies swimsuits.

From an article on nytimes.com:

Lisa Gregorian, chief marketing officer of Warner Brothers Television Group, which hired the Aqualillies to perform at a Comic-Con party in San Diego celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Superman character, called them “the perfect blend of the glitz and glamour of the golden age of Hollywood and a unique, modern, contemporary performance.”

Celebrity Diving

Although the TV reality series “Celebrity Splash” originated in Holland, versions of the popular show are now produced in countries around the world. (The American program, renamed simply “Splash,” airs on ABC.) No matter where the show is seen, the basic idea is the same: Celebrities try their hand at plunging into a pool from a high-dive platform.

Unfortunately, the program has resulted in a number of injuries, plus one drowning death (of an assistant to a celebrity competitor on the Chinese version). Nevertheless, the show apparently must go on.

Mermaids

Long a subject of popular fascination, mermaids have become big business: Disney’s animated feature “The Little Mermaid” raked in a cool $211 million at the box office. Today, real-life women are donning mermaid tails and taking their acts into the water. In Salt Lake City, three ladies have become the Voodoo Pearl Mermaids; according to The Salt Lake Tribune’s Web site, the troupe appears everywhere from “children’s parties to high-end events.”

The article further reports:

One of the most celebrated professional mermaids is Hannah Fraser, a performing mermaid who also is an ocean conservationist. Fraser’s website, www.hannahfraser.com/mermaid/, answers mer-enthusiast questions such as how she trains to hold her breath for two minutes at a time and what it is like to swim with sharks, manatees and dolphins.

At least one guy is getting in on the mermaid (or in his case, merman) action as well: 22-year-old Floridian Eric Ducharme, who has appeared on TLC’s reality show “My Crazy Obsession.” The Web site dailymail.co.uk quoted Ducharme as saying, “When I put on a tail I feel transformed. I feel like I’m starting to enter into a different world when I hit the water.”

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Alas, notes Ripples, Esther Williams went to that aquamusical extravaganza in the sky this past June — but the way things are going, don’t be surprised if a movie sequel called “Billion Dollar Mermaid” someday comes to a cinema near you.

Note: Some videos may open behind this page.

Videos: To watch the trailer for “Million Dollar Mermaid,” click here.
To see the trailer for O at Bellagio, click here.
To view the Aqualillies in action, click here.
To watch an episode of “Splash,” click here.
To see Christel Mermaid (one-third of Voodoo Pearl Mermaids) go through her paces, click here.

Speaking of mermaids and other mythical creatures…

Ripples Classic: June 2012

‘Swimming Pool’ Is One Delightful
Animated Short with a Surprise Twist

Ripples came across this award-winning short by Czech animator Alexandra Hetmerova on huffingtonpost.com — but it reportedly first appeared online on Vimeo.com.

The Huffington Post related the following: “The charming six-and-a-half minute short about an unlikely connection between two nighttime swimmers has been a [film] festival darling since 2010, when Hetmerova debuted it as a fresh graduate of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.”

Ripples is quite confident you’ll be smiling by the end, especially after the surprise twist. Enjoy!

Video: To watch Alexandra Hetmerova’s “Swimming Pool,” click here and scroll down a bit.

And with that, Ripples once again says…
Until next time, happy watershaping to you!