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Published: May 18, 2011
Updated: May 18, 2011
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Ellie’s interest in Mermaids began at the age of five after seeing the film Splash.
 
Her mother having a background in water ballet, Ellie was given swimming lessons at the age of three and trained with a ballet company for the next fifteen years.

The ballet training helped her develop flexibility in her back, legs, and ankles. After fifteen years of training she can bend in half and swim with a tail weighing up to 35 lbs underwater.

When her family moved to Florida she made a mermaid tail out of old towels, sheets and a coat hanger. Ellie didn't have any help with her mermaid tails like today‘s mermaids through resources like youtube - she had to simply figure it out.

She made her first appearance in the newspaper for the Palm Beach Post in 1992 at the age of ten. Over the years she used trial and error with her costuming abilities to make better tails. By the age of twelve she was already a paid mermaid performer.
 
Living near the beach was a very enlightening experience for Ellie. Witnessing the effects of red tide, littering, oil spills and just plain carelessness influenced Ellie’s decision to use her mermaid performances for environmental projects and educational programming.

"It is a different feeling when you sit on a rock all day and take photos with no purpose. I would prefer to use my voice and talents to help local organizations raise the funds that they need." states Ellie.

After 1996 Ellie started appearing at libraries, festivals, beaches and marinas for their various projects. She was also paid to swim in the Gulf and had to get over her fear of Bull Sharks.

Her voice coach discovered that she is a "Colouratora Soprano" which made her mermaid appearances comparable to mermaid folklore. As far as she knows- herself and Hannah Frasier (Australia), were the only performers swimming in the ocean for serious work in the 90'’s. "I beat Hannah by two years- I am simply older than she is."
 
Proceeds from her appearances enable her to perform for local Environmental Projects and Organizations. She is available for Underwater Modeling, beach shoots, educational programming and conferences. She is also trained to swim in an aquarium, fountain, or chlorine environment.

She can be reached at 518-925 5169

For exciting upcoming events please visit:
www.norfolkmermaid.jigsy.com
www.twitter.com/Elliemermaid

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