Presentation on the History of Women in the Water, plus a Vintage Swimsuit Fashion Parade and Finale Synchronized
Swimming Performance by the Aqualilies
Presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Art Deco
Society of Los Angeles
This event is so robust, you can spend an entire day at the
members only historic Los Angeles Athletic Club, so read carefully to get a handle on
all the splashy details.
It was during the 1920s that a Chicago physical education
teacher first matched movements in the water with music, but by then, women had
been making a splash in aquatic vaudeville performances and before that, controversial
Victorian-era “scientific” swimming displays. Since the nineteenth century,
tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both
impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers—none more so than
synchronized swimmers, for whom Hollywood mermaid, Esther Williams’ name is
synonymous. Williams trained for the Olympics in the very LAAC pool where our event is held!
For the first time, author (and swimmer), Vicki Valosik
traces a century of aquatic performance, from vaudeville to the Olympic arena,
detailing the careers of the many women who began as athletes, but found
greater opportunity, and often social acceptance, in the world of show
business. Together, they not only laid the groundwork for synchronized
swimming, but forever changed women’s relationships with water.
This year is the 40th
anniversary of synchronized (now called artistic) swimming’s elevation to Olympic
status. In fact, an Aqualilly is on the U.S. team.
At her Los Angeles book launch, Vicki will give an
illustrated presentation on her new book Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story
of Women in the Water, followed by a booksigning in the Ballroom of Los Angeles’
oldest club, the Los Angeles Athletic Club (founded in 1880). A fashion parade
of vintage swimwear will lead the audience to the grand finale, a synchronized
swimming performance by Los Angeles’ own Aqualillies!
We are thrilled to mingle the memberships of the Los Angeles
Athletic Club and the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles for our first
synchronized swimming event!
Following the Swimming Pretty event, all ticket holders are invited to enjoy live Jazz in the Club's restaurant/bar area from 6 - 9 pm.
About the Author/Presenter
Vicki Valosik is a masters synchronized swimmer whose
writing has appeared in publications such as The Atlantic, Smithsonian
Magazine, American Scholar, and Slate. She is an editorial director and teaches
writing at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She lives in
Silver Spring, Maryland.
Tickets
$50 + fees ADSLA Members
$40 + fees LAAC Members
Tickets are available to LAAC and ADSLA members. Your ticket includes: Presentation on the history of women in the water by Vicki Valosik and booksigning (books will be available for purchase at the event), vintage swimsuit fashion parade from the collection of Kristin Wojkowski, synchronized swimming display by the Aqualillies and the opportunity to enjoy live Jazz in the Club's restaurant/bar.
If you decide to arrive early, you can enjoy the restaurants and bar for lunch. Did we mention that one of the restaurants is call "Famous Players?"
No refunds, but you may transfer your ticket.
About Our Location
The Los Angeles Athletic Club was founded as the city's first private club (for men) in 1880 when the population of Los Angeles was 11,000. Over the years, the organization grew to include such local luminaries as Colonel Otis and Harry Chandler of the Times publishing empire; railroad tycoons Eli Clark, Moses Sherman, and Henry Huntington; oil men Edward L. Doheny and Charles Canfield. By 1912 a new building was necessary. Architects John Parkinson and George Bergstrom were tapped to design a Beaux-Arts Club with the West Coast's first swimming pool built on an upper level. Later the Club picked up Hollywood celebrities like Charlie Chaplin (who lived there for a time), actor/sportsman Douglas Fairbanks, heart throb Rudolph Valentino and Johnny Weissmuller ("Tarzan") to name a few. Esther Williams was recruited by the LAAC women's swimming coach when she was 14, to train at Club for the 1940 Olympics. Sadly, due to WWII, the Olympics was canceled and Esther found her way back into the pool (and our cultural history) via Aquacades and the glorious Technicolor spectacles that she headlined in the 1950s. The building was landmarked in 1970 and is historic cultural monument #69.
Please see our website for more details. There will be a discount for those wishing to stay at the LAAC hotel for the weekend and a tour of LAAC that will be sold separately.