Today we’d like to introduce you to Elle Jimenez
Hi Elle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My love for performing arts began as a little girl taking ballet lessons and performing on stage. I trained as a dancer my whole life since 5 years old. As an adult I was a professionally trained dancer and actress and had lots of incredible experiences, from dancing the opening act of En Vogue, and touring as a background dancer to music videos including Kanye West, Gente de Zona, Dillon Francis and so many others. I decided my life was in entertainment and performing acts and I opened my own entertainment company back in 2016. I had no idea there were so many different styles and acts of entertainment specifically for the event and hospitality industries including, at the time, mermaid performances. The only mermaid performance acts I knew about at the time were Weeki Wachee’s mermaid shows and The Wreck Bar in Fort Lauderdale. But, for events there weren’t many actual swimming mermaids. They were mostly sitting in a beautiful costume by the pool.
A client of mine was planning his daughter’s birthday party and it was mermaid themed. He asked me for a mermaid that could swim and I could not find anyone that was able to do that. He was very persistent and at the time I was doing all sorts of acts: dancing, fire, Disney princess impersonations, and he asked if I could perform as the mermaid for the event. I didn’t know how to swim at the time so I immediately said no, but the thought of not being able to provide the entertainment at an event and also having a little girl who wouldn’t get her mermaid was looming over me. My friends pushed me to say yes and take swimming lessons. And that is how this all began!
I realized it wasn’t the fact that I didn’t know how to swim at 26! It was also a fear of water. I felt claustrophobic and had to get rid of the fear before that event. I had 3 months to train prior to the performance. So, I took swimming lessons, and even got scuba certified which was terrifying at first but it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. This is when I unlocked my love for the ocean being underwater for 45 minutes and exploring reefs as a scuba diver. My love for the ocean continued growing and I got my certification in Marine Ecology. I learned about the constant threats our oceanic ecosystems are constantly facing due to human activity like plastic pollution, overfishing and others. I then decided that my mermaid character that I was creating at the time for the event had to be some sort of protector of the ocean. And so Mermaid Elle was born, and get job was to protect the oceans, saving the seas. The funny thing is, when the event came and I was ready to swim it, it was 60 degrees outside and raining, so I didn’t get to swim that event after all and spent time entertaining the kids at the party with stories about Mermaid Elle. I didn’t know it was going to be my calling, but it lit up a part of my heart I didn’t know existed. It gave me purpose!
I began promoting more mermaid performance acts for events and posting my work on social media which caught the attention of not only clients but also the news. My work has now been featured in multiple media outlets such as Vogue, Allure, People, Inside Edition, Forbes and others, and I worked for many high end celebrities performing my one of a kind mermaid show.
Fast forward to now almost a decade later, I am a world-renowned professional mermaid and have performed internationally, worked with major celebrities, traveled for mermaid diving content in the ocean, performed at aquariums, founded the Saving the Seas non-profit and wrote a kids chapter book: Mermaid Elle Saving the Seas! I grew my social media audience to over 4 million followers on all platforms and continue to perform all over the world, residing in Orlando.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest struggle for me was learning how to swim as an adult. I think lots of people can relate to that and it was a huge challenge for me, mentally, to overcome my fear of drowning and feeling unsafe in water. Water is very powerful and it took me a while but after these 9 years I have learned how to become one with the water, and go with the flow, to let go and not resist it and to train professionally and practice aquatic safety. It really has been an incredible journey and now I love being in water. It is my peace and my favorite place to be. I guess I was really meant to be a mermaid!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Specializing in mermaid entertainment and performance is not for the faint of heart. I perform as a mermaid full-time, and it requires physical and mental health to do it safely and to the best of my abilities. I am known for my one-of-a-kind performances in water, not only as a swimmer and aquatic performer but as an entertainer overall. My expertise in the entertainment industry and experience being a performer my whole life sets me apart. I am most proud of being able to combine the world of entertainment with the aquatic world, and also with the diving world and environmental conservation.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice to those starting out is: get professional training! Learn as much as you can and never stop learning and practicing. I recommend getting both the PADI Freediver certification and the Open Water Diver certification. I also teach PADI Mermaid courses which specifically teach mermaid skills. The world of water is not an easy one. As humans, water can be foreign and dangerous, so getting the right training is most important. Safety first!
And for those who want to become mermaid performers like me I have created an online course with tons of resources. Available on my website mermaidelle.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mermaidelle.com
- Instagram: @themermaidelle
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/miamimermaidelle
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/mermaidelle
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@themermaidelle
Image Credits
Darren Joshua Leonardi (on all photos)
