Mermaid Performer Goes Viral for Doing Entire Underwater Routine Without Ever Coming Up for Air

Silvia Solymosyová took her first swimming course at 4 to 6 months old

When Silvia Solymosyová took her first baby swimming course between 4 and 6 months old, she instantly fell in love with the water.

By the age of 5 or 6, Solymosyová — who grew up in Bernolákovo, Slovakia — was already swimming standard strokes on her own without any assistance. Around the same time, she began taking dance lessons and, by 11, enrolled in an eight-year dance conservatory. But during her time there, she came to a realization: traditional dance wasn’t quite the right fit for her.

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Lyrical WAP but underwater💦 voice: @imalecchambers✨dc:@besperon @charlidamelio✨ Reply to @guyilunga #WAP #underwaterdance #artisticswimmer

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“I’m unique, and I prefer dancing in the water,” she recalls thinking. And with that, her passion for underwater dancing was born.

Today, at 22, she lives in Guangzhou, China, where she performs at the Grandview Aquarium — which she says is known for having one of the best underwater shows. Each performance features a unique theme and story.

She’s also competed internationally, including placing ninth and 10th in the mixed duet finals at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. That same year, she won with her brother Jozef two bronze medals at the European Championships in Rome, Italy, making history for Slovakia in artistic swimming.

“I don’t just perform as a mermaid,” she tells us exclusively. “I also portray a snake, a butterfly, a ballerina — even a witch during Halloween. It’s different from watching me on social media, because here, people can see me perform live, in person.”

When asked about her creative process, Solymosyová says choreographing an underwater routine is similar to creating an artistic swimming performance.

“Sometimes I have an idea for a stylistic move, or I’m inspired by a piece of music,” she explains. “I know what I want to express, and then I figure out how to bring it to life underwater. I try different movements, choose the best ones, and piece them together.”

But performing underwater poses some unique challenges — especially when it comes to breathing.

“When you’re dancing underwater, you have to hold your breath unless you’re using scuba gear,” she says. “If the routine is too long for one breath, I keep practicing until I can perform it from start to finish.”

Solymosyová says she’s lucky she’s been practicing breath-holding since the age of 5, thanks to her background in artistic swimming. But she points out a key difference between the two disciplines.

“In artistic swimming, we hold our breath with full lungs after inhaling. In underwater dancing, unless you’re using weights, it’s usually done after exhaling most of the air from your lungs. That’s a big difference,” she explains. “Some dances push me to the edge of my limits, but I always have someone nearby to assist if needed — so I never fear drowning.”

She adds, “I think what surprises people most is learning that I often dance on empty lungs — holding my breath after exhaling.”

In the lead-up to a performance, Solymosyová goes through a detailed prep routine. Physically, she warms up and conditions her body — including her heart, lungs, brain, joints and muscles — for the demands of dancing underwater. This involves stretching, breath-control exercises and rehearsing choreography both on land and in water.

She also takes care of the technical side: charging power banks, phones, camera batteries and lights if needed; clearing memory cards or phone storage; and packing essentials like makeup, costumes and props.

“When I first started underwater dancing, I usually wore one-piece swimsuits because I often stayed after practice to film,” she says. “Many pools only allow swimsuits, so you don’t have much choice — just pick a color.”

“If I can wear whatever I want, I go for vibrant colors and tight-fitting clothes,” she adds. “Long dresses or skirts are difficult to dance in, but they look great for underwater photography. For photos, you only need to hold a pose or perform one move, so it’s easier. Wearing caps or hats is tricky, especially when doing upside-down moves.”

Since December 2019, Solymosyová has also been sharing her underwater dances on social media, where she’s built a following of over 1.5 million on TikTok and nearly 170,000 on Instagram.

To film her content, she uses a waterproof camera mounted on a selfie stick or tripod. Occasionally, she uses her phone in a waterproof case, and sometimes sets up extra underwater lights to improve visibility.

She’s thankful for how far underwater camera tech has come.

“A few times the camera or phone slipped and sank to the bottom of the pool,” she recalls. “One scary moment was when someone jumped into the water without looking, and I was directly beneath them.”

Over time, she’s noticed how people’s perception of her work has changed — but some challenges remain.

“Honestly, one of the hardest parts is just finding a pool where I can film!” she says. “I do a lot of research and sometimes travel to different pools so I can keep creating new videos. I prefer pools that are about 6 to 10 feet deep — that depth gives me enough room to move freely.”

Despite the obstacles, she anticipated the buzz her content would generate.

“Yes, I definitely expected the attention,” she says. “There are so many dancers on land, but only a few people in the world can do what I do.”

“At first, I’d often get comments like ‘fake’ or ‘green screen,’ ” she says. “But now more people are starting to understand that what I do is real — and just how difficult it is to dance underwater. I was really surprised by the overwhelming amount of positive feedback I received on my underwater ballerina video for the Pop Muzik dance trend. Those reactions have really stood out to me.”