It’s hard to imagine that one woman helped launch an entire sport, but her star quality put it into the spotlight. Esther Williams is widely known as the Godmother that popularized water ballet that later changed into competitive synchronized swimming.
She was absolutely fearless, when most women would sit poolside and sunbathe, she would be jumping off high diving platforms and spinning under water. We were very honored to be able to pay tribute to her legacy on Saturday night, with her closest friends and family.
From the moment we walked on deck, we all knew this was going to be a different type of show. We were introduced to Esther’s Husband, Edward Bell, and immediately he started reliving the days he spent with Esther. Even though we were supposed to start rehearsal, we couldn’t help but gather around like little kids listening to stories about the woman who started it all. My favorite story was when Aqualillies swam for Esther a few years ago, Ed said that Esther turned to him and whispered, “those are my girls.” So for the night we were EstherLillies.
Once we did get in the pool, Ed gave us lessons on how to do “Esther Style” backstroke. Unlike the many years of strict competitive synchronized swimming training, these lessons were all about grace, beauty, and embracing the simple imperfections.
As guests started arriving, we started getting show ready. Which meant for some of our dancers, putting their hair in knox gelatin for the first time. Once we put on our high waisted white silk bikinis along with our elbow length gloves, everything seemed ten times more glamorous.
During our performance, every time we came up for air, the audience was sending such positive energy. For a moment, we got a glimpse of what it might have been like to be Esther Williams in one of her feature films.
For our performances, we also wore swimsuits that were truly Esther Williams’ originals, from her Esther Williams Collection swimwear line. After our last swim, we sat poolside and watched a montage of Esther’s movies, each one grander and more spectacular.
It’s hard to imagine how different our lives would be if Esther Williams had not brought her grace and beauty into the water. With every story told, we were all flashing back to when we first watched her most iconic film, Million Dollar Mermaid. We are sure every synchronized swimmer today can look back and thank Esther for bringing the sport into the spotlight in Hollywood. We are blessed to be able to honor such a legend in the best way we know how…. with a pool party!