JOIN THE #SSIDANCECHALLENGE – SHOW US YOUR MOVES!

Dive Into SSI’s Ultimate Underwater Dance Challenge!

Movement feels different beneath the surface—graceful, weightless, almost otherworldly. Water becomes part of the rhythm, shaping each turn and extension in ways you would not expect. This April, you have the chance to turn the ocean into your stage and win great prizes with SSI’s Underwater Dance Challenge!

SSI is excited to launch the Ultimate Underwater Dance Challenge, a month-long competition inviting you to move in ways you have never moved before. It is more than a contest – it is a celebration of SSI’s new Underwater Model & Dance program, a specialty course designed to teach freedivers and mermaids how to move through the water with grace and creativity. And this is your chance to be part of its debut!

How the Underwater Dance Challenge Works

The concept is simple: record a 45-second underwater dance, post it on Instagram or TikTok with #SSIDanceChallenge, tag @ssi_international and follow SSI on both platforms. That is it. You are in.

You can enter the Underwater Dance Challenge as a solo dancer, as part of a duo, or even in a group, though you are only allowed one solo submission. The depth limit is 5 meters—enough space to glide, turn, and suspend yourself in the kind of motion that feels more like flying than dancing. It does not matter if your moves are carefully choreographed or purely instinctual. What matters is the way you inhabit the water and make it part of your performance.

How to Enter:

1. Post an underwater video where you dance on Instagram or TikTok.

2.Use #SSIDanceChallenge and tag @ssi_international.

3. Follow @ssi_international on both platforms.

Guidelines:

1.Upload a video with a maximum length of 45 seconds

2.Stick to SSI standards: maximum depth: 5 meters

3.Solo, duo, and group entries allowed

4.Only one Solo per person (one person can enter in a solo, duo, and group)

What Can You Win? 

Are you ready to shine underwater? A panel of expert judges—including renowned freedivers and dance professionals—will select the top nine performances based on choreography (30%), execution (30%), production and costume (20%), and musicality (20%). The Top 9 Videos will then go to a community vote on Instagram and TikTok, where the final winner will be chosen.

• 1st Place: An exclusive SSI Merch Box, a Free Environmental Digital Kit, a featured blog post, and a social media spotlight.
• 2nd–9th Place: A Free Environmental Digital Kit and a social media feature.

The Ultimate Underwater Dance Challenge will run from April 1st to April 30th, 2025, with winners announced two weeks later. 

Enhance Your Skills: Discover 11 essential training techniques for swimming like a mermaid! 
 

Who Can Join?

The Ultimate Underwater Dance Challenge is open to anyone who loves to create underwater content, from seasoned performers to those just beginning their journey into underwater movement. 

Whether you are a professional with years of experience or someone who has never considered dancing beneath the surface, this competition is designed to be inclusive, welcoming creativity and expression in all its forms.

If you are already an SSI freediver or mermaid, you are likely familiar with the principles of controlled movement and breath-hold techniques—both of which lend themselves beautifully to underwater dance. If you are new to this world, the challenge offers an exciting entry point, a way to explore how water changes the way your body moves and feels.

This challenge is not just about competition. It is about community—a shared experience among people who find something special in the way water transforms movement. It is about connecting with others who understand what it means to move through a world where gravity does not dictate the rules. It is about discovering, together, the beauty of weightless motion.

Preparing for Your Performance

If you have never danced underwater before, you might be wondering where to start. The SSI Underwater Model & Dance course is an excellent introduction, teaching essential skills like controlled breath-holding, elegant movement transitions, and how to use the water’s resistance to enhance your performance.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your Underwater Dance Challenge submission:

1.Master Your Breath-Hold: The longer and more comfortably you can hold your breath, the more freedom you will have in your movements. Practice breath control techniques to extend your ability to perform underwater.

2.Plan Your Routine: While spontaneous movement can be beautiful, having a rough idea of your choreography will help you make the most of your 45-second video. Think about how you want to use the space and how your movements will flow from one to the next.

3.Choose the Right Setting: The clarity of the water, the lighting, and the background all contribute to the visual impact of your performance. Whether you are in a pool or an open-water environment, consider how your surroundings will enhance your dance.

4.Experiment with Costumes and Props: While the focus is on movement, the right costume can elevate your performance, adding an ethereal quality to your dance. Flowing fabrics, mermaid tails, or even simple color contrasts can make your routine stand out.

5.Sync with the Music: Even though your video will be silent underwater, choosing music that complements your movements will make the final edit more compelling. Think about how the beats and rhythm align with your choreography.

Find Your Flow: Learn how to choose the perfect mermaid tail for graceful underwater moves!

Why Underwater Model and Dance?

Dancing underwater is not like dancing on land. It is slower, more fluid. It forces you to understand movement in an entirely new way, to be conscious of every shift and extension, to make peace with the fact that you cannot rely on the familiar mechanics of gravity.

This is what makes the SSI Underwater Model & Dance such a fascinating specialty—because it is not just about performance; it is about control, breath, and an effortless kind of elegance.

Freedivers and mermaids already know this world well. You have felt it in the way your body moves through the water, in the quietness that surrounds you when you are fully submerged. 

The Underwater Dance Challenge is just an extension of that—an opportunity to push your skills further, to find beauty in the in-between moments, the weightless transitions, the way light bends around your limbs.

This unique program helps you master graceful movement, elegant posing, and breath control, allowing you to create stunning underwater content while ensuring safety and confidence. 

From choreographed routines to fluid, weightless motion, you will develop the artistry and technique needed for mesmerizing underwater performances.

Start with the Underwater Model certification and progress to Underwater Dance, or take both in one go to earn your specialty certification. This specialty is perfect for mermaiding enthusiasts, underwater photographers, and performers looking to refine their skills.

Join the Movement

Even if you have never considered dancing underwater before, now is your chance! The Underwater Dance Challenge is exhilarating, the rules are simple, and the rewards—far beyond the prizes—are many. 

You may discover a new form of self-expression, surprise yourself with newfound abilities, or fall in love with the way the water makes everything feel more effortless and graceful underwater.

Whatever your reason, the water is ready. Are you?

Follow @ssi_international on Instagram and TikTok to stay updated. 

If you are ready to fully dive into the world of underwater movement, explore SSI’s Underwater Model & Dance specialty today.