Synchronized swimmers to perform free ‘dance’ show

So maybe it's not quite as well-known as soccer or softball or the other ways Southern Nevada youths indulge their desire to participate in team sports.

But synchronized swimming, the sport most Americans probably don't think of much between summer Olympiads, is alive and well in Southern Nevada.

This evening, synchronized swimming fans and newcomers alike can watch some of the valley's most avid synchronized swimmers perform in "Shall We Dance? -- The All-City Synchronized Swimming Show" set for Baker Pool.

The show will feature about 50 swimmers ages 4 to 14 representing pools in Las Vegas, Clark County and Henderson, said Erin Sullivan, aquatics recreation leader for Las Vegas.

Also scheduled is a special performance by the "Men of Synchro" lifeguards and performances by teams made up of lifeguards from local pools.

Today's event isn't a competition, Sullivan said, but, rather, a show that brings to an end the summer synchronized swimming season here and enables swimmers to "just let their hair down."

Recreation departments in Las Vegas, Clark County and Henderson offer year-round synchronized swimming programs, so today's show also represents a good opportunity for prospective participants to see what the sport is about, Sullivan added.

One thing newcomers quickly will learn: Hair gel and waterproof makeup notwithstanding, synchronized swimming is, Sullivan said, "a very physically demanding sport."

Not only does the sport require the ability to hold one's breath for extended periods, she noted, but requires doing so while carrying out precise moves in, and under, the water.

Some Southern Nevadans are surprised that synchronized swimming is a popular recreational activity here, Sullivan said.

But, compared to many cities, Las Vegas is well-suited to the sport, if only because of the number of professional synchronized swimmers here -- many of them former Olympians -- who now swim professionally in Cirque du Soleil shows on the Strip.

Not only do such shows give prospective participants "an opportunity to see professionals doing what they do," Sullivan said, they also reinforce the reality that synchronized swimming can lead to a career.

"When you explain things like that, it clicks: 'Oh, that makes sense,' " Sullivan said. "It would be like a mountain village (creating) good skiers."

Today's show is free and family-friendly, and audience members can bring folding chairs or blankets.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.