Page 10 Advertisements Column 3

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21559, 23 January 1940, Page 10

SWIMMING TO MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT One of the highlights of the New York World’s Fair was Billy Rose's Aquacade, in which swimmers presented unusual water ballets in a series of lovely patterns, swimming all the while to the rhythmic beat of a musical accompaniment. This form of marine phantasy, comprising water ballets, and ballets, songs, and sketches presented on a specially erected stage, was originated in America five years ago by an Australian, Annette Kellerman, who on February 3 will produce another spectacular water pantomime in aid of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. An ambitious programme is being prepared, and rehearsals, under the direction of Miss Kellerman, have already begun, a compere will announce each item. The programme will include several songs and sketchces written by Miss Kellerman, who will also appear in a sketch, “The Evolution of the Bathing Costume.” Many of the ballets to be presented by Miss Kellerman, and stagemanaged by her husband, Mr J. Sullivan, were inspired by the fish, coral, and marine growth of the Barrier Reef. Some of the items were originally staged in Florida, where millionaires’ swimming pools provided beautiful settings. Lovely costumes will be worn in the show on February 3, and all of them have been designed by Miss Kellerman. She brought nine trunks of costumes with her from America, when she arrived at the beginning of the year. Lame is the chief material used, as it glimmers under water. Fantastic head-dresses, glimmering multi-clour-ed fish costumes, mermaids’ costumes, seaweed costumes “-id coral designs will all be used