Category: aqualillies

2013 was a monumental year for the Aqualillies! We graced the cover of the Style section of The New York Times, got to splash around in music videos for Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, and we even partnered up with Tarte Cosmetics for a water proof make-up line. The list is seemingly endless of everything this fabulous group has accomplished this year, so to stay up to date on everything Aqualillies make sure you sign up for our news letter!

ABC’s Splash: there were a mere 8.8 million viewers (!) watching the Aqualillies perform in red high heels!

Ariana Grande, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Big Sean fell for the ‘Lillies in the Romeo and Juliet themed music video for “Right There”.

On set at the Art of Animation Resort at Disney World promotion in the Big Blue Pool

Behind the scenes of our photoshoot for our makeup line with Tarte Cosmetics!

Aqualillies make a weekly splash with a residency at The Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Miami, Florida.

Heating up Cabana Pool Bar with Aqualillies Canada in Toronto.

There are plenty of ways to follow all things Aqualillies – you can find updates here on our blog, like our page on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter!

We love sharing everything that happens poolside, so what are waiting for? Jump in!

It was quite a glamorous week for us in Los Angeles with themed parties every night of the week. We hosted one of the most luxe events on the rooftop of the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills this past Tuesday night – the masquerade party was an event unlike any other!

We danced and splashed on the pool deck in gold sequined swimsuits with brand new choreography. Each song brought out a new style, truly showing how talented our ‘Lillies are!

Michelle, the dance co-captain of our Los Angeles team, was also multi tasking as event coordinator for the Masquerade. “We were overwhelmed with RSVPs leading up to the event,” she explained as the guest list reached capacity. As one of the main reasons for the event was to showcase a new nightlife set, “there were several event companies, as well as great hotel chains that were able to attend,” Michelle said as she held back a huge smile, “it’s always exciting performing for potential clients!”

Mesha Kussman, Aqualillies’ Creative Director, later added that “it was a thrill for us to be able to invite our LA fan base and to have such an amazing venue to show our stuff. We are talking with the Thompson Hotel about doing it again next year. Maybe we’ll make a ritual out of it.”

The exciting new synchronized swimming choreography was lead by Mary Jeanette, the Executive Director (she’s a synchronized swimmer herself!). Each one of the swimmers gave endless energy to the event. Mary later said, “the whole night sparkled – the girls, the pool, and the guests! There were so many show stopping moments, it was very special to swim in this performance.”

Written by Aqualillies Canada

On Saturday August 24th, we were given the opportunity of a lifetime to perform at the new and exclusive Cabana Pool Bar in the heart of Toronto, Canada for thousands of young clubbers partying and enjoying the beautiful weather that summer day.

Not only was this a first for the pool bar lounge, but also for us – the new Aqualillies Canada ‘Lillies, who eagerly awaited the two performances we would be debuting that day! This was our chance to show Toronto what we had to offer, and to illustrate the utter talent, beauty, sophistication and undying passion we possess for the sport of synchronized swimming.

The atmosphere was incredible– the weather hot and our crowd even more vivacious, which made the experience even more exciting! Aqualillies has been taking off all across the U.S and had finally made it across the border to branch out into new, uncharted territories– somewhere no one had gone before. We were so excited and couldn’t wait for our debut performance. The pool was amazing, a very unique twist on a lounge pool with an island in the middle for guests to dance and relax on while bathing in the sun.

Our thrilling adventure began at 7 am, where all of us girls met at the Cabana pool bar to prepare for our big debut. We had rehearsed a lot prior to our performance day, which only made us even more confident and eager to perform later on. As we put on our beautiful training suits and rehearsed our routines we knew this was going to be an unforgettable experience and only the beginning of an incredible journey for Aqualillies Canada. We had gone over our corrections and hashed out all the last minute details for both routines and were finally ready to put on our Karla Colletto suits, perfect our makeup and show the crowd what we were made of! The Canadian Lillies had arrived and we were ready to put on a show.

The first performance was at 4 pm with approximately 1500 people in attendance within the VIP section of the bar, where not only the pool was located, but also 2 of the 3 DJ’s playing that day, as well as the exclusive Cabana’s strategically placed around the pool. We were ready to shine and the crowd was going wild! Our first set featured many highlights and unique synchronized swimming moves that showcased our talent as a group but also individually. We had one of our ‘Lillies, Isabelle, do a sassy little solo number on the Island in the middle of the pool. The crowd was cheering so loud we could barely hear the music, as phones and cameras were whipped out to document this incredible experience. We had become a welcomed distraction from their partying as they continued to cheer for more once the routine had ended.

At 5 pm we got ready for our second and final performance of the day, closing with an edgy number that featured the red umbrellas from the previous performance. We utilized the pool space by having girls both in and out of the water to make sure we connected with each and every guest in attendance, girl and boy alike. Ending the routine with our red parasols, the crowd jumped out of their seats and cheered uncontrollably. We had done it!

We ended the day by meeting some amazing fans, media and VIP guests while we hung out in the VIP section dancing and jamming out to the DJ till the sun went down. It was an incredible experience, full of fun, sun and beautiful people! We are so grateful for our debut performance and look forward to the future of Aqualillies Canada.

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!