What to Know
- Aqualillies Summer Watershow
- Thursday, Aug. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Kimpton La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood
- $12 (standing room only); $350 per person front-row seating
- 10% of the bar proceeds will be donated to the USA Artistic Swimming Team
Aqualillies, Southern California's acclaimed synchronized swimming troupe, holds exactly one public performance each year.
That performance always takes place on the eighth day of August in honor of movie star Esther Williams, the icon who helped to bring the art and athleticism of balletic swimming to silver screens, and countless audiences, across America and throughout the world.
So one must wonder if good fortune is at work, or terrific timing, or something slightly magical: Olympic Artistic Swimming will be taking to the pools of Paris the week of Aug. 5, coinciding with the annual Aqualillies watershow in West Hollywood.
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The splashy SoCal spectacular will give people a close-up look at the incredible technique and strength behind synchronized swimming, while also helping out the USA Artistic Swimming team.
It's all happening at the Kimpton La Peer Hotel and 10% of the bar proceeds will be donated to the team.
A ticket to the two-hour watershow is $12; note that your entry will be "standing room only" for the event. There is seating in the front row for $350 per person.
Aqualillies didn't choose Aug. 8 as their public-performance date at random, though, yes, it is usually a balmy, swim-ready day in Southern California. That the birthday of Esther Williams, making it a meaningful occasion for those devoted to the powerful pursuit of polished pool-based performance.
Ms. Williams rose to fame, while rising, famously, out of so many soundstage pools, in the middle of the last century, but her legacy swims on.
Again, Aqualillies only stages its splashy show on Aug. 8 each year, though, yes, some members do occasionally lead classes.
There are, in fact, some classes happening on select Saturdays in West Hollywood; read more about signing up for the $20 sessions now.
Updated July 29
