Page 44 - Q01-2021 Fins Magazine

head mermaid at the Todi Dive contest. “It’s a bodysuit constructed
Mermaid
Mermaid Celine started in 2004
in Belgium after being obsessed
with mermaids. Her dream was to
be a professional mermaid where
she could combine her artistic and
performance passion into a career.
“It was very difficult when I
started. The idea of professional
mermaids in Belgium is outside the off when she performed for the
normal. There were times when I
felt very discouraged and without
support, but I knew what I wanted
and never gave up.” Celine said in
her interview.
STARTING OUT
Mermaid Celine started out
performing as a mermaid when she Celine has now established herself
was still in school.
She was studying to become an
actress, singer and dancer, but
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Celine
becoming a mermaid was really
her dream. Between acting gigs
and musicals, she got side jobs as a
mermaid.
“I had to work really hard to
establish myself,” Celine said.
Celine’s years of hard work paid
congress of Copenhagen.
“My first gig was a video clip for
congress in Copenhagen. It was
a special moment for me because
Copenhagen is the birthplace of
the story of The Little Mermaid”.
as one of the foremost mermaids in
Belgium.
She is a featured artist at the
annual fantasy festival, ‘Elftopia.’
A place where elves, princesses,
trolls, druids, orcs, time travelers,
vikings, gnomes and wizards
converge. The audience is engaged
in all the fantasy and folklore that
surrounds them. The highlight of
the event is when Mermaid Celine
swims around a medieval castle in
its moat.
“Elftopia is an incredible event and
I feel so special to be the featured
performing artist. I swim the moat
around a medieval castle with all
of the fantasy creatures, onlookers,
families and friends watching. It’s
truly magical.”
Celine now teaches mermaid
classes to both adults and kids
around the globe. She is the
Center and she actively travels
the world performing at beach
clubs, swimming pools and for
photoshoots.
ODYCEA STUDIOS
In 2016, Celine met Mermaid Lexie
and they decided to join their
creative talents and open Odycea
Studios. Odycea studios creates
handmade, high quality custom
hybrid tails, merchandise and
accessories.
“We decided to combine our
different tail making techniques
(Celine’s experience with sequins
tails and Lexie’s with silicone
tails). It takes about 7 months to
sequins).” Last year they finally
make a custom tail. We focus on
hybrid tails (neoprene, silicone and
launched their company with their
website: www.odyceastudios.com
From the start, both Celine and
Lexie wanted to include products
and accessories for mermen.
“There are very few accessories for
mermen and we have felt since the
beginning it was something that
was needed and where we could
innovate.” Celine commented, we
are “very proud of the bodysuit that hadn’t met them, she wouldn’t
we created for mermen. We really
appreciate Fins Magazine letting
mermen know that our accessories
are available for them.”
Merman Nico won an Odycea
Studios merman bodysuit in a
Learn more about Mermaid Celine:
www.mermaidceline.com
@mermaidceline
FB: Mermaid Celine
Learn more about Odycea Studios:
www.odyceastudios.com
of mesh and has a silicone dorsal
fin on the back, with sequins.” (See
Merman Nico, also featured in this
issue.)
MERMATES
‘The Mermates’ is a collective
of five professional mermaids:
Mermaid Celine, Mermaid Evi,
Mermaid Lelie, Mermaid Naomi
and Lexie Mermaid.
When Celine was asked if she
would like to perform by the
TODI dive center for their opening
ceremony, she searched to find
other mermaids to perform with
her.
“I didn’t know any mermaids back Performing at Elftopia each year, Celine
I met Lieke, Evi and Naomi during forever and we wanted to do
has been there since its inception.
then and had to go find some, then
something that would keep us in
a meet-up. (Lexie I met a year later
the mermaid world. We love to
in Paris) We clicked and that was
other people’s dreams and holding
the beginning of ‘The Mermates’.” make tails for people, supporting
The Mermates now regularly workshops, basically, just helping
perform at TODI and have done so others. I want to spend the rest of
for several years. my life doing something I love.”
“It made sense when we were “I had to figure it all out by myself.
together. We were having fun, And I’ll tell you, it wasn’t easy.
perform and teach classes together Never. But I did it in the end,
and have a lot of ideas.” If Celine and that’s what’s most important
right?”
know where she would be today. “I
love them and really consider them
my family. It’s like destiny, fate.”
Watch our interview with Mermaid
Celine on our YouTube channel.
If not for Mermates, there would
be no Odycea. “We realized we BY PATRICIA PASTRANO
couldn’t be mermaid performers JEFF WEINER
Photo Credits:
Learn more about Mermates: Onderwater Fotografie Academie
www.the-mermates.com
@mermates.eu Filip Staes
@lexiemermaid Florine Jonnekin Photography
Isabelle Hanneuse Photography
@mermaid.evi
@mermaid_lelie
@lexiemermaid
@_mermaid_naomi
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