Overview

""If you're not strong enough to swim fast, you're probably not strong enough to swim 'pretty, '"" said a young Esther Williams to theater impresario Billy Rose. 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 Williams is often considered godmother. In this riveting history--the first of its kind--Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance, from vaudeville and dime museums to the Olympic arena. Williams, who became a Hollywood sensation for her splashy ""aquamusicals,"" was just one in a long, bedazzled line of swimmers who began their careers 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. Now, on the fortieth anniversary of synchronized swimming's elevation to Olympic status, Swimming Pretty finally honors the history of grit, glamour, and sheer athleticism of an utterly unique sport.

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Vicki Valosik is a masters synchronized swimmer whose writing has appeared in publications such as the Atlantic, Smithsonian magazine, and Slate. She is an editorial director and teaches writing at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. Sarah Welborn has been acting for the past twenty-five years, and her credits include theatrical and film productions in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. Sarah has trained at some of the best acting schools in the country, including The School at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, The Groundlings School, and The Second City. Sarah graduated cum laude as a film production major at CSUN, one of the top twenty-five best film schools in the country. She brings the creative and technical skill set necessary for seeing projects through from pre- to post-production. Sarah has an engaging, warm, and dynamic vocal range. As a lifelong storyteller, avid reader, and lover of bringing characters to life, she is thrilled to collaborate on your project!

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