Courtesy of Norton Publishing.
Presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles
A presentation on the History of Women in the Water, plus a Vintage Swimsuit Fashion Parade and Finale Synchronized Swimming Performance by the Aqualilies - all at the Los Angeles Athletic Club!
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. We open doors at 2:00 PM, but the presentation will begin at 3:00 PM.
The History Presentation & Booksigning:
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 with the sport. 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 private club, the Los Angeles Athletic Club (founded September 8, 1880). A fashion parade of vintage swimwear from the collection of Kristin Wojkowski 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!
The After Party
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. Food and beverage will be available for purchase.
Tickets
$50 + fees ADSLA Members
$40 + fees LAAC Members (must use the code provided by LAAC)
No refunds, but you may transfer your ticket. Individual, Senior & Student members can purchase one ticket, per the benfits of this membership.
Tickets are available to LAAC and ADSLA members. This is an indoor event. All portions of this event take place inside the same building.
Your ticket includes: Presentation on the history of women in the water by Vicki Valosik and book signing (books will be available for purchase at the event through bookseller Larry Edmunds), 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.
Seating in the ballroom is unassigned, first come, first served. Choice of lower or upper-level pool deck to watch the synchronized swimming display. Both areas will serve as a magnificent view. You can choose what works for you. The upper level will offer an overhead view and the lower brings you closer to the pool itself. The deck will be somewhat slick on the lower level.
Complimentary LAAC Day Pass for ADSLA Members
Please opt in when you purchase your ticket if you would like to return on another day to sample the facilities at the Club. Your email address will be shared with LAAC for the purpose of sending you the pass.
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?"
A tour of LAAC that will be sold separately. See this page for more about our Downtown Art Deco Weekend!
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.
photo: Ian Jacob Photography. Courtesy of the Aqualillies.
Our Performers
Aqualillies is the world’s most glamorous water entertainment company, reinventing the classic art form for the new millennium. Diving off the pages of Vogue, Marie Claire and The New York Times, Aqualillies has become synonymous with beauty, sophistication, luxury, and style. In front of the camera or at live events for clients such as the Coen Brothers, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, The Kardashians, Visa, Adidas, and Chanel, Aqualillies inspires audiences with innovative spectacles of romance, athleticism and grace.
About the 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. Haberdasher James Oviatt was a member of the Club, which is very close to his Oviatt Building. The building was landmarked in 1970 and is historic cultural monument #69.
photos: Los Angeles Athletic Club
Parking:
The LAAC operates a multi-level parking structure at 646 S. Olive Street.
Stay:
Stay the night at the hotel with a special discount rate. We will supply ticket buyers with a code to make a reservation.
Schedule
For those not familiar with the Los Angeles Athletic Club, this entire event is inside one indoor location.
11:00 AM Tour of the Los Angeles Athletic Club (separate admission. You must have a ticket to Swimming Pretty to purchase a tour ticket)
12 :00- 2:00 PM Optional Lunch at a Club restaurant. Bar open.
2:00 PM Check-In Begins & Doors Open for Seating. Vicki Valosik available to sign books prior to the talk.
3:00 PM Presentation by Vicki Valosik
4:00 PM Vicki Valosik available to sign books & Parade of Vintage Swimsuits
5:00 PM Audience ushered to the pool deck
5:30 PM Aqualilies Performance
6:00 - 9:00 PM Jazz in the Bar (open to all with a program wristband). Food and drink available for purchase.
Attire
Wear your finest 1920s through 50s vintage resort wear or daywear that can transition for an evening of Jazz in the LAAC restaurant. Still building your vintage collection? We know you have a Hawaiian print shirt or sundress in your closet. Nautical style is also a good fit for the occasion. This event is entirely indoors (including the pool).