Sport women to perform water ballet in Ranchi

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Jharkhand’s capital is set to witness a spectacle inside aquatic stadium on September 27,28 and 29 when synchronized swimmers will perform water ballet.

This is for the first time Ranchi will witness water ballet,otherwise known as synchronized swimming, a water sport performed by women from West Bengal.

Orgainsed by Jharkhand IAS Officers’ Wives Association,water ballet is essentially categorized by choreographed movements in the water that must be performed with ease and grace. The sport requires flexibility, agility, precise timing, and the ability to control breathing underwater.

Historically,water ballet first began with Annette Kellerman, a woman from Sydney, Australia. She was born on 6 July 1886 and from an early age suffered from rickets, a disease that weakens and softens the bones. In order to fight the debilitating disease, Kellerman spent most of her childhood swimming. Her daily swims caused her to gain strength in her legs and catapulted her to a career that brought her fame.

In 1905, Kellerman performed at the London Hippodrome, a huge performance hall in England. There she performed in a huge glass tank, swimming, diving, and dancing underwater. She brought her act to the U.S. in 1906, enjoying further success. Inspired by Kellerman, a woman by the name of Kay Curtis started a water ballet club at the University of Chicago in 1923.

In 1934, Curtis brought water ballet to the Chicago’s World Fair. Soon after, Chicago area schools began to form their own synchronized swimming groups. After World War II, water ballet continued to grow in popularity throughout the world. In the 1940s, Olympic swimmer and movie star Esther Williams cemented the popularity of water ballet by performing in the San Francisco World’s Fair Aquacade and several MGM movies.

The organisers have put up bill boards across Ranchi exhorting the people to witness the.”enthralling display of melody in water.”The entry to witness the event at the Acquatic stadium at Hotwar Sports complex in Ranchi is through ticket.

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