2023
SINKHOLES, SEWERS, & STREAMS: A WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BALLET
Fluid Movement joined Miss Drizzle as she and some adorable Baltimore City “kids” journey through our city’s water infrastructure systems, meeting fantastical people, Baltimore legends, and learning about how Baltimore keeps the water running. Featuring over 100 swimmers, 8 fabulous actors, and the The Dan Meyer Choir! It’s a spectacle celebrating our city’s engineering legacy with a public health message!
2023 WB Preview and Public health collaboration
Bloomberg School of Public Health asked if Fluid Movement could make synchronized swimming into a public health message, and we more than answered the call. This was a perfect tie-in with our 2023 water ballet theme (water infrastructure), and we highlighted THE FATBERG, a truly disgusting amalgamation of “flushable” wipes, other non-flushable products, and fat, oil, and grease that end up sticking together and forming rocklike structures that wreak serious havoc on our sewer systems!
MR. Trash Wheel’s Earth day Birthday (Dance)
Fluid Movement joined Waterfront Partnership in celebrating Baltimore’s favorite garbage gobbler’s birthday, which of course is also Earth Day! FM performers dressed as discarded glamorous liter as a SSSsssS-eline Dion (a snake in a wig) grapples with what it means to be liter as they make their way by rain and river to Mr. Trash Wheel in the Inner Harbor.
Color WHeels at Artscape (Roller Skating)
Fluid Movement was tickled pink present Color Wheels, a pop-up roller skating performance at Artscape. Featuring a fabulous installation of illuminated sculptures and roller skating.
2022
YACHT ROCKET! A Synchronized Swimming space spectacular
Captain Neil Tennille’s beloved but aging Yacht Rocket, held together with Hubba Bubba and macramé, can barely stay afloat. But what is a captain without a yacht to rocket? Join eighty-odd (very odd) synchronized swimmers, a few stowaways, gas giants, and a certain special space telescope on this journey of self-discovery and groovy, groovy tunes.
BIG SPLASH AT DRUIH HILL PARK POOL
Fluid Movement joined Baltimore City Recs & Parks and Mayor Brandon Scott to kick off a new summer swim season and celebrate the grand reopening of Druid Hill Park Pool.
Poll Dance: Voting With Fluid Movement (dance)
Fluid Movement teamed up once again partnering with Baltimore Votes to bring joy, glitter, and movement to Baltimore City polling locations with three Poll Dance-related events that anyone could participate in: Early Bird Voting, Whatever Floats Your Vote, and Election Day Dancing.
A Winter Waterland at Candy Lane (dance and roller skating)
Candy Lane is an art installation installed at Center Plaza in downtown Baltimore organized by Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. Fluid Movement activated this installation with an exuberant winter performance art piece featuring fabulous costumes, dancing, roller skating, and the audience in attendance!
2021
dance calls LIVE!
Fluid Movement brought back our weekly dance series for another three months, but this time, we were LIVE aka in-person. We did all the safety precautions we could think of and then some, but we were able to gather in our city parks to dance and celebrate our bodies. Original choreography, random shenanigans, and joy for joy’s sake was had, and of course, there were so many costumes!!
TRASH WHEEL FAN SWIM
Fluid Movement hits the min-screen with a mini-synchronized swimming scene just to show our love of the Baltimore Trash Wheel family for Mr. Trash Wheel’s annual FanFest!
CICA-DANCE!
Fluid Movement created an interpretive dance number that pays tribute to our Brood-X visitors, celebrating their strange life cycle and our favorite Baltimore-based cicada trivia.
2020
SOCIAL DISTANCING DANCE PARTIES aka the dance calls
We were all stuck in our homes, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t still dance together over the internet! For three months, Fluid Movement hosted a themed weekly choreography or movement or whatever sounded fun session, where we could all get a little active and see each others' smiley, silly dance faces over our respective screens! Surviving the pandemic the only way we know how—with costumes and glitter and dance!
Poll Dance! Pop-Up at the Ballot Box
Drop off your ballot and celebrate with Fluid Movement! Spectators got a spectacle of a distanced dance, roller skating, and festive vibe while they exercised their right to vote! Featuring an original song by Baltimore’s own Landis Expandis; Wait ‘Till You See My Vote
2019
FLUID MOVEMENT: THE WATER BALLET
Since 1999, an ever-expanding troupe of passionate community performers have been dazzling the deep end of Baltimore City’s public pools with what has become a signature summertime tradition: Fluid Movement’s Water Ballet. From flamingo kicks to vertical lifts, this synchronized swimming show artfully combines on-deck drama, cornball comedy, collaborative choreography, and outrageous costumes to create a joyous spectacle that charms audiences of all ages.
TRASH DANCE: THE DANCE
Fluid Movement in conjunction with Waterfront Partnership is introducing the new documentary Trash Dance with our very own Trash Dance the Dance by celebrating community and the art of converting trash into treasure!
Can-Can flamingos at Honfest 2: Electric boogaloo (Dance)
Fluid Movement once again opened the fabulously Baltimore HONfest! Reprising our Can-Can Flamingo routine bright and early Saturday morning.
2018
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Water Ballet
Hitchcock, the master of suspense, the king of thrills, the zealot of horror, has decided to put all of his movies into a synchronized swimming production, and he doesn’t care how he treats his trusty female assistant along the way. Enjoy this tale of triumph as we appreciate the works and grapple with the legacy of an unpleasant, but talented, man.
Can-Can flamingos at Honfest (Dance)
Fluid Movement takes the stage at one of the most quintessentially Baltimore festivals: HONfest! with our Can-Can Flamingos.
2017
Sharkespeare the water ballet
Sharkespeare and his trusty assistant Shakesbear will herd their unruly crew of actors, swimmers, and ne’er-do- wells on- and off-stage at the Globe Theater Water Park and Renaissance Festival while trying to do justice to the great Bard’s work.
L.O.V.E. Light city (dance)
Fluid Movement dances our way through the Inner Harbor to some of our favorite hits about LOVE all aglow for the annual Light City Festival.
Good Morning, Baltimore at Honfest (Dance)
Good morning, Baltimore!! Fluid Movement celebrates Hairspray and all our favorite Baltimore critters with a silly dance number as we open HONfest!
Druid Hill Haunt; A chiller thriller Roller Show
Deep in Druid Hill Park, two friends unleash the spirits of Halloween in the hopes of keeping the horror in the hearts of Baltimore forever. This family-friendly performance combines roller skating to spooky tunes from your third-grade Halloween party, semi-successful conjuring, local history, and seasonal nostalgia to create a humorous mashup of supernatural proportions.
2016
Science Fair! The Water Ballet
Hypothesis: It's Gonna Be Awesome!
A celebration of science and the distinctive culture of school-based competitions: trifold posters, last-minute research, and exacting judges. We will swim through scenes devoted to space, environment, energy, chemistry, and more.
2015
GOLDBLUM: The Water Ballet
Ever wondered what it would be like to be inside noted film actor Jeff Goldblum’s head? Fluid Movement imagines a fictional Jeff Goldblum’s spiritual journey through his own acting career, guided by the Ghost of Esther Williams and a phone call from the mind of Wes Anderson, in the form of synchronized swimming.
That’s BaltAmoré, A Fairytale on Wheels (Roller Show)
It’s a charming fractured fairytale on roller skates. To ensure pleasantness in the Land of Pleasant Living, a petulant princess protagonist must obey her father’s wishes and find a suitable mate. After a magical makeover, she is forced to choose from a motley cast of doltish dudes and lax bros. Will she find true love in time to save the kingdom? Is there a Prince for her, or... something more?
Intrigue! Fairies! Glitter! Song! Dance! Wheels! All of this awaits you in the Charming Kingdom of BaltAmoré.
The Human Fountain, Artscape (Dance)
Dancers with hoses and water-fueled costumes shower audience members with their musical human fountain in a jubilant dance piece/water extravaganza,
2014
Star-Spangled Swimmer (Water Ballet)
A summer school class about Baltimore’s big moment in the War of 1812, and the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner, using ‘immersive’ learning and historical reenactment, combining Wonder Woman, glitter, and 80 people swimming in unison to the "1812 Overture."
The Hound Dog Crew Strikes Back! (Roller Show)
A gang of kids solve the mystery of the stolen bowling trophy belonging to Toots Barger, duckpin champion of Baltimore.
2013
MOBY DICK! OR, THE WATER BALLET SPECTACULAR
Fluid Movement returns with its 12th annual water ballet and, this time, it’s personal! It’s Moby Dick, or The Water Ballet! Join the ranks of Baltimore’s sparkly-and-ironic synchronized swimmers as they harpoon the most diabolical Spermaceti known to man or mermaid, the White Whale himself, Moby Dick! Our man Ishmael recounts the ill-fated final voyage of the Pequod under the monomaniacal direction of Ahab as he searches amid the rolling waves and the steaming chowder for signs of his nautical nemesis! Will he, or Starbuck, or Pip, or that other guy—you know, the one with the squint and the impenetrable brogue—will any of them ever make it back to Nantucket alive? Will life ever be the same after you experience the splendors of the open sea—the vast biodiversity beneath the brine, the thrill of rendering blubber, the sense of self-fulfillment that only knot-mastery can convey—without leaving the comforts of your favorite Baltimore City Public Pool?
2012
Rebel Teen From Starship 12: An Extraterrestrial Water ballet
Join rebel teen Andy in this live sci-fi adventure 'film' as she fights for freedom, only to find herself Lost In Space! Will a cranky mothership and the creepy galactic bus station be too much for our young heroine? Will her encounters with UFOs and fierce and fabulous space amazons show her the way home? But wait! There's more! A crack team of movie-reviewing robots (and their human partner) must watch and report on Andy's exploits as their very last assignment before Base sends them home!
Howard and Lex: The Way We Roll (Roller Show)
Come back to the heart and soul of Baltimore’s department store district to witness a rejuvenating roller ballet! It’s HOWARD & LEX: The Way We Roll!
Follow our heroine, Sylvia Kleinman, as she takes a trip down the West Side’s Memory Lane, recalling:
... The debut of Frank Sinatra at the Hippdrome!
The heyday and today-day of The Lexington Market!
The long-storied tradition of protest, West Side Style!
Those lovely ladies who lunch amid the spectacle of department store fashion!
And the holiday parades of yesteryear, all rolled into one!
2011
Mobtown Murder Mystery (Water Ballet)
The world's first (and perhaps last) live film-noir inspired daytime synchronized swimming extravaganza!!
She is gail force, a Girl Friday turned Ms. Saturday Night.
He is Sam Hoe, her dead boss' ex-partner with nothing but good intentions.
And they gotta get their hands on one very dangerous DINGUS!
What's a DINGUS, you say? Well, they don't know, either. You're just gonna have to show up to find out! But who has it? Is it: one very large-headed small-time boss with a penchant for perspiration and parlay? A kingpin who's cornered the cookie racket 30 yards off Pier 6? Or your guest celebrity host?
Total Workout (Roller Show)
What happens when the plots from Total Recall, Dune, Goldfinger, and a Jane Fonda aerobics routine are all combined into a performance where everyone is on roller skates? It’s TOTAL WORKOUT!, this year’s fabulous Fluid Movement roller skating show!!!
2010
Jason and the Aquanauts: 20,000 Legs Over The Sea (Water Ballet)
Join the adventure… Come sail away to ancient Greece with the Legendary Greek hero on his perilous quest to find the Golden Fleece as only Fluid Movement can tell it. Replete with battles against a skeleton army a talking masthead and the glittery costumes and swimming you’ve come to expect
3001: A Baltimore Odyssey (Roller Show)
A trash trawler in the now-underwater Baltimore discovers our ancient history via our garbage, and everyone is on roller skates!
2009
STRANGE CUSTOMS: The Flurry Family Odyssey (Water Ballet)
The Flurry family returns, and this time they’ve gone international! Grab your money, tickets, and passport, and come fly the friendly skys as the Flurrys embark on a hilarious, sometimes disasters, and often surreal trip to locales around the globe, told with Fluid Movements trademark swimming, dancing, and glittery style!
2008
Easy Roller: A Courtroom Drama On Wheels (Roller Show)
The new girl at Intercourse High in Pennsylvania encourages the town to end their ban on rollerskating.
Mother Goosed: The Nurseryland Campaign Tales (Water Ballet)
President Humpty sat on a wall
President Humpty had a great fall
Will the voters of Nurseryland put him back together?
Come see the colorful citizens of Nurseryland swim and entertain in this politically charged water ballet extravaganza!
Inspired by the 2008 presidential elections.
2007
War and Fleas (Water Ballet)
Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”, in a dog park, about the war between dogs and squirrels. Narrated by two fleas, "War and Fleas" tells the story of a street dog named Pierre who finally gets a break. He is adopted to live in luxury, but soon enough, his world is shattered by trouble-making squirrels.
2006
It’s A Wonderful Species! (Water Ballet)
The show's plot is loosely modeled on the movie “It's a Wonderful Life”, except here the angel Clarence is replaced by a crass monkey trying to convince Darwin that he's sitting on a gold mine and should publish the book “On the Origin of Species” after 18 years of waiting. Featuring lizards and starfish on the Galapagos Islands, a high school prom, dinosaurs, and beat poetry.
2005
Postcards From the Deep End: The Flurry Family Vacation (Water Ballet)
A cross-country drive inspires memories from each family member of their favorite vacations.
2004
Earth, Wind, & The Baltimore Fire, Patterson Park Pagoda Hill (Dance)
A Flamenco show about the Great Baltimore Fire, on the 100th anniversary of the blaze that razed the city, ending with the Jones Falls as a 100 foot slip and slide to save the day.
BUGS Circus (Dance)
Kids from the Living Classrooms after-school program learn & perform circus skills and tricks with the help and training of Fluid Movement.
2003
Go-Go Pirate Show, USS Constellation (Dance)
A go-go dance version of Treasure Island on a historic ship in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
2002
1001 Freudian Nights, vacant rug shop on Howard Street (Dance)
The life and work of Sigmund Freud told in belly dance.
2001
Cirque De Lamour (Water Ballet)
A French circus performer becomes pregnant and must choose between the philandering father of her child and the kindhearted animal trainer who loves her.
Nessie On Wheels (Roller Show)
A Halloween performance investigating urban myths and ancient mysteries.
Romancing the Cones (Dance)
A commissioned piece for the Baltimore Museum of Art’s reopening of the Cone Collection.
2000
Cleopatra: Water Ballet
The last Egyptian queen’s life and the wars waged during her lifetime.
Frankenstein On Wheels (Roller Show)
A Halloween production, about the famous monster and his mad scientist creator.
Tchotchke Follies, Jewish Museum of Maryland (Performance)
A puppet show using tchotchkes and salt and pepper shakers honoring great Jewish singers.
Hoedown in Hades, Patterson Park Pagoda Hill and Artscape (Dance)
The Orpheus and Euridice myth told via square dance.
1999
Watershorts (Water Ballet)
Self-trained synchronized swimmers do pieces about birth, life, death, and the big things in between to an original soundtrack.
Poe On Wheels (Roller Show)
A Halloween performance of Edgar Allen Poe’s Masque of the Red Death.