Splashy Glamour: The Aqualillies' Vintage-Meets-Modern Aquatic Dance Troupe
Underwater Ballet Troupe: Exquisite Poise amidst Shallow Depths - Blooms in the Depths: Grace Amid Water's Mirrored Surface
Step into the world of The Aqualillies, a celebrated synchronized swimming troupe that breathes new life into the glamourous era of Hollywood's "aqua musicals" from the '40s and '50s. Featuring a captivating blend of vintage charm and contemporary athleticism, the troupe exemplifies artistry, precision, and theatricality in aquatic performances, engulfing audiences in nostalgia while showcasing cutting-edge choreography and innovative underwater routines.
Founded in 2008 by dance choreographer Mesha Kussmann, The Aqualillies quickly made a splash in music videos and at celebrity events. With bases in Los Angeles, Miami, and Europe, their playground is as expansive as their talent.
Photographer Brad Walls got the chance to capture this mesmerizing spectacle's "beauty and elegance" in striking images. His second collaboration with The Aqualillies aimed to recreate the intricate geometric shapes former director and choreographer Busby Berkeley molded during the heyday of the musical film. For the photoshoot, the duo picked the circular pool at the Pelican Hill Resort in Los Angeles—a laboratory for groundbreaking aquatic artistry. With its stunning architecture and commanding size, the pool underscored the harmony and discipline of The Aqualillies' performances.
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Shaping Synchronized Swimming: A Visual Symphony
Walls' series "Aqualillies" encapsulates the beauty and elegance of synchronized swimmers by offering an aerial perspective. From above, the swimmers' synchronized movements form spellbinding geometric shapes—circles, spirals, and symmetrical patterns—that hint at the discipline and harmony within their routines. Walls explains, "Symmetry imparts a sense of calm and order against the backdrop of chaos... In ballet, symmetry isn’t just aesthetic; it mirrors the discipline and harmony in the dancers' movements, while abstracting the human form in a way that challenges our traditional notions of dance." As a result, this series invites viewers to explore synchronized swimming as a multifaceted, living art form, rather than merely a sport.
In abstracting the swimmers into geometric shapes, Walls preserves the essence of a harmonious composition, celebrating the enchanting world of The Aqualillies[1].
- The photoshoot for Brad Walls' series "Aqualillies" took place at the circular pool at the Pelican Hill Resort in Los Angeles, a chosen location as homage to Busby Berkeley's geometric designs during the era of Hollywood's aquatic musicals.
- In his series "Aqualillies," Brad Walls strives to encapsulate the synchronization and elegance of The Aqualillies' synchronized swimming performances through aerial photographs, creating stunning geometric patterns resembling circles, spirals, and symmetry.
- Brad Walls' collaboration with The Aqualillies blends the vintage charm of synchronized swimming with contemporary athleticism, showcasing not just aquatic dance troupe's captivating performances, but also their artistry, precision, and theatricality, as exemplified in their synchronized swimming routines.
- By presenting synchronized swimming as an abstract art form, consisting of harmonious compositions of geometric shapes, Brad Walls' series "Aqualillies" invites viewers to appraise the enchanting world of synchronized swimming not only as a sport but also as a lifestyle and a sustainable movement, evocative of home-and-garden and eco-conscious themes.
