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Time once again for a check-in with the Halifax Mermaids. Life has been a lot of fun for the fishy girls since the fall hit. We've had an unusually warm fall and the girls have been making the most of it. Public events have begun to wind down and private events are once again taking over. So let's see... where to start? Click Read More to see what we've been up to 
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This blog is an adaptation of an older blog post from my first website, and a publish article I've done on Annette Kellerman. 
With the recent rise of mermaids in popculture- you may not realize that mermaids have been around for over 100 years in the performing field! Through my research I believe Annette Kellerman was the very first professional mermaid. She is the woman who pioneered our field- and a heck of a lot of other things too! Kellerman was a champion for women- and you're about to see why she's my idol! 
I first came across the story of Annette Kellerman before I'd ventured into the world of professional mermaiding while researching. A now long gone tail making company claimed her as their inspiration and a few trips to youtube showed me why- Annette was an underwater performer who'd been in movies wearing a mermaid tail and at the Hippodrome in New York in giant glass tanks. While this isn't a completely new idea now a days with places like Weeki Wachi; in the early 1900's Annette was ground breaking.
I could certainly identify with why the tail company idolized her as a mermaid but as I began to do a few internet searches I found my own independent reasons. Kellerman had been afflicted with a type of paralysis and used her swimming as therapy. Kellerman had to wear braces on her legs and her disability kept her very isolated until she found swimming at age 7. She'd swim with her brothers and push herself constantly taking huge joy in the little difference she's notice in her legs as she swam. As her legs and fitness got better she began to swim competitively. She'd swim any chance she got and even accepted dares from local boys to dive from high altitudes. She felt like she could do anything in the water. She went against many odds to win her first title at the age of 15 (beating men in sprint races!) then she set a world record for the mile. |
RainaThis is Raina's blog where she documents all things mermaidy in the Halifax Mermaids! Archives
September 2016
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