Mers wanted for new team! (Southern Germany/Stuttgart area)

[Echidna]

Greetings Mer Community!

as already stated in my introduction post some time ago,
I'd like to start a mermaid waterballet group.
In the past, I've worked as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer,
and I think the time has come to haul some people into the water! :)

What I have in mind is similar to "normal" synchro swimming/waterballet,
but adapted to swimmers wearing a tail.
Eventually, we want to build a diverse repertoire of choreographies, consisting of dance moves and formation swim figures (both at the surface, and under water-
depending on whether the location is a tank with sideways visibility, or a conventional pool).

Once we have a stable, dependable group and our repertoire down,
we can go public and perform (hotels, private parties, faires, events, etc);
but for now, I'm mostly looking for people in the area, who would like to join for an informal swim (and are also interested in trying out synchro swimming in the future).

If you would like to participate, you should have a tail (any material; fabric is fine and probably best for waterballet) and of course be a good swimmer, comfortable in a tail/monofin.
If you had dance training at some point (ballet, jazz, modern, flamenco, bellydance...),
you will find synchro swimming probably very easy :)

We thought to base our initial training somewhere in the Stuttgart area-
there is one very good pool with olympic standards there, which is suited for synchro swimming, and it has almost no chlorine due to a complex-ozone-method.

There is yet another with low chlorine where I regularly train, more shallow sadly, but much less frequented, so we should have space there.
Anyway, let me know if you're interested, and we can discuss exact times and locations.

One final word.
I'm very enthusiastic about a mer swim/ballet group, however it will turn out-
whether we can perform publicly at some point, or keep it solely for fun-,
however I cannot completely rule out the possibility that my chronical illness will act up
and prevent me from doing much.
I hope this will not happen, but it might, especially if I'm doing stuff like flips, turns,
or sudden direction changes.
So please bear with me, and keep that in mind if there are much less continuous flips and backflips in the choregraphy than you'd like. :D

[Mermaid Fenicia]

I wish I could be part of your team, but as I live in Belgium (Antwerp) and don't have any transport, I can't :(

[Azurin Luna]

Sounds cool, but I also live to far away. :( I have to travel from Rotterdam

[Echidna]

Yea, sadly it's a must for all participants to live roughly in the same area for regular training,
and getting a group doing synchronized stuff requires really a lot of that to look good!

[Echidna]

Update.

The founding members have voted for a name:
Lake Nymphs.
We chose that name because it allows us to perform our dances with or without tails
(as we've received several requests to perform as a "normal" synchro swim team :rolleyes: ).

Now, we're of course not a regular waterballet.
We can perform as any mythical aquatic being!
(ye...minus waterdragons, I guess :p)

Our Logo:
13583

Some of our choreographies have certain themes.
For those, we will wear tails/costumes according to that theme.
Each member has a variety of fitting accessoires; here are some of mine:
13584

We aim for a fresh, unique look believable for waternymphs,
reminiscent of snails, freshwater plants, and other things found in lakes rather than the sea.
So, no run-of-the-mill, purchasable mermaid stuff :)
Everything's handmade.

This is the custom "Lakenymph Swimming Cap" I came up with:
13585
Can be worn over a regular swimming cap.

All costumes and accessories are made without real animals, or animal parts.
We won't use real pearls either.
(If you know how pearls are "made", you might understand.)

Since I've been at home many weeks with a seemingly non-ending fever, there has been no training lately, I hope we can amend that while the summer lasts.

We still have two or three free spots, if someone nearby is interested!

[Sishakir]

I am really happy for you that you managed to find enough teammembers :)
The name you chose is really pretty and I like the accessoires you already have.
Maybe you could post some pictures here when you start performing? ^.^

[Kumori Kitsune]

Sorry I live in merica lol

[Echidna]

Maybe you could post some pictures here when you start performing? ^.^

I'll try (someone else would have to take the pictures, obviously), it might still be quite a while though.
It's really difficult to get several people together for training regularly, there's always someone who just cannot make it on that particular day/time as the others, etc.
I wonder how the olympian teams manage with 8 people plus trainer!

[PearlieMae]

That's great! I wish you and the team all the best!

You could put an advertisement out for photographers willing to trade photos and usage in exchange for rights to use images of you for portfolio use. Budding photographers and seasoned professionals are always looking to update their portfolios with something different! Perhaps a few videographers, too, and you could post it on youtube! It would be mutually beneficial and virtually cost free. Don't forget to advertise for make up artists willing to trade, too.

You could document the evolution of the Lake Nymphs and build your brand!

[Echidna]

Thanks!
Although I'm really not marketing-savvy.
Basically, I just want to dance/swim/perform :D

We're the first group in Germany (or even Europe?) like this, but here, mermaiding is still very much regarded as a fad for baby girls, and the mergroups already existant reflect that (all swim-schools for small children), so not sure how it'll all turn out.

[Echidna]

UPDATE:
due to utter lack of possible training facilities, the group was disbanded.

None of us had access to a private pool, and public pools here look always like this
15682

Even "normal" swimmers complain they have to do acrobatics to do their laps, and still end up with lots of bruises.
If you're unlucky, someone jumps on you, and that usually doesn't end well.

It's IMPOSSIBLE to tailswim in any pool around here, let alone have several mers do a little choreography.

My own lonely swims during the last months have consisted of going into the pool without monofin or tail, sitting in a corner, waiting for a moment when one lane opens up for a few moments, quickly dive in it, and then go back to some spot waiting for the next opportunity.
It's frustrating, and hardly worth the exorbitant amount of money each entry costs.

Yes, I know it could be worse, I could be still living in China
15683

but seriously guys.

Stop the f%&/ procreating please.
The last thing this overpopulated planet needs, is more people!

15684

[JamesGunnels]

Ich wäre gern dabei, aber leider wohne ich auch in den Staaten...good luck finding a place though! I know there are some beautiful lakes and rivers in Germany :) Is it not possible to use those?

[Echidna]

I know there are some beautiful lakes and rivers in Germany :) Is it not possible to use those?
Yea, that's what we did right in the beginning, but it's only possible in summer and even then, it's really cold,
especially in rivers.
Maybe we'll do something like a summer workshop instead.

I'm also contemplating moving elsewhere less thronged :p

[JamesGunnels]

Isn't there a river in Villingen-Schwenningen that you could go to? We have some really awesome places here in Austin, but I think most of them have rules against using monofins etc.

[Echidna]

Rivers are usually forbidden to swim in here.
Besides, there's too many boats, ships, jet-skiing and other stuff on lakes and rivers that I wouldn't recommend it even if it were nicely warm all year round (which it isn't, we're lucky if we get one or two months of swimmable outdoors).

It sucks when pools have a no monofin rule, which seems to spread like wildfire these days.
It's allowed here so far, but no use really when you can hardly get into the water even without one :p

Guess I'll have to win the lottery and build our own.
Or move to less populated country.
Yea, that sounds about right.

[MermaidNadia]

Hi Caltuna,
My daughters, niece and I swim regularly with monofins and tails at the Oskar Frech Seebad/Hallenbad without any problems. They actually welcome mermaids. There's a Mermaid Club that meets there regularly and takes over the diving pool, which is very deep. You should go check it out. It's in Schorndorf, about 20 min. from Stuttgart by car...

[Echidna]

We've been there.
Drove all the way, and ended up in an entrance hall so full you couldn't move one inch.
We looked in through the throng (dozens of school classes), and saw the pools were all full, several courses of aquafitness and stuff going on on top of the usual.
And the hundreds of kids in the entrance hall weren't even in yet.

So, unless the club rents their own pool space, I'm surprised you can swim there.

[MermaidNadia]

Hi again,
It depends on what time of day you go. At around 13 o'clock there's not much going on. If you go in the morning during the week, of course all the schools are there. In the later afternoon there are courses. But the midday is pretty doable. You could call and ask when the best time to come would be, perhaps if you say that you have your own mermaid club with adults...

[Echidna]

Well, we're several people with a dayjob, so mostly training has to be late afternoon or evening.

It always depends on luck too, but it's still a difference whether you are content swimming a few laps in a tail,
or you intend to practice a choreography with several swimmers you know :)