Florida Mermaid School's Now In Session

DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA — Florida attorney Charlotte Towne may be something of a land shark in her legal practice. But, on weekends the mother of two transforms into a mythical siren of the sea. Now she teaches others to be mermaids too.

"I've always loved mermaids. If you come to my house I have mermaids all over my house," acknowledged Towne, who specializes in entertainment law. "Everything in my life has been mermaid themed. I've been a mermaid many times for Halloween — mermaid baby showers, mermaid-style wedding dress, mermaid bachelorette-themed party."

Everything but her wedding.

Subscribe to Miami Beach Patch's free email news alerts and newsletters to stay up to date on what's happening in this urban beach resort

"It wasn't a mermaid wedding," she confided. "It was a traditional, beautiful wedding but my gown was a mermaid-style gown where it fits around your hips and then it flares out at the bottom like a mermaid fluke."

A few months ago Towne's lifelong passion for everything mermaid led her to open AquaMermaid of South Florida, which holds weekly classes at a few local hotels. The lessons cover how to swim like a mermaid, wiggle into the mermaid tail and perform graceful mermaid moves.

"We teach you the basic mermaid movement which is the dolphin kick and then variations of that," Towne said. "We have the Torpedo, the Kangaroo, the Corkscrew, the Mermaid Hello and the Mermaid High Five."

During the latter movement, colorful fins collide in a happy display of "mermaid-araderie." Such moves were on display during a recent Saturday afternoon class at the Hotel Morrison in Dania Beach, where Michelle Murphy was living out her lifelong dream.

"I grew up loving the 'Little Mermaid,'" recalled Murphy, an artist, who took the class on a recent visit to South Florida from her home in Chicago. "It was the music and the character, Ariel, that I was drawn to as a kid. Although, I don't match the concept, or the ideal of Ariel, I was interested in performing a childhood pop culture influence."

Murphy said that she understands she is built differently from the flawless Disney character of her childhood, but that the mermaid class proved to be one of the highlights of her trip.

"For me it's about maybe the disconnect and the connections between the idea of a mermaid and the reality of my body — the futility of my body — the performance of being half human, half fish," she asserted. "So, I was interested in those slippages between idealism and human experience."

Preschool teacher Sabrina Sirgany only works as a mermaid instructor on weekends but she can't wait to put on her mermaid tail.

"I needed something to get me back in the water. I was a competitive swimmer in Jamaica," Sirgany told Patch. "I found Charlotte and I have not stopped smiling."

Once they learn the fundamentals, new mermaids are treated to some mermaid play.

Not all mermaids are women either. The classes are open to men, including one man who drove three hours to learn the proper way to swim in his six mermaid tails back home.

"We swim through hoops. We dive after sinking toys," Towne explained. "We play games."

The original AquaMermaid school was started in Canada two years ago but franchises have splashed up in Chicago, Arizona, Las Vegas and most recently in South Florida this May.

"You need to be able to swim the length of a pool and back without stopping and then you need to be able to tread water for 60 seconds with your toes above the water without touching the bottom of the pool," explained Towne of the requirements to take the class. "Then you have to be able to float."

Each South Florida mermaid class costs about $60 for a one-hour lesson or aqua workout as Towne describes it. Green, blue, purple and yellow mermaid tails are provided for the classes but they can also be purchased for about $110. Classes are offered at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in addition to the Hotel Morrison.

Some of Towne's mermaid students have suffered from serious illnesses and disabilities, including a woman with terminal brain cancer and a young girl with Down Syndrome.

"It's very fulfilling," Towne shared. "The minute you put on a mermaid tail you are going to feel like a beautiful, powerful mythical creature. It just automatically gives you confidence."

For more information, visit AquaMermaid.com or call 866-279-2767.

Photo gallery by Paul Scicchitano