MerPeople, the new docuseries about the half-billion dollar mermaiding industry, has plenty of characters. There’s the plus-size mermaid trying to make the community more inclusive. There’s the nonbinary mermaid artist whose 1,000-kilowatt smile is enough to soften the heart of even the crustiest crab. And then there’s the fairy mer-mother of them all: Mermaid Morgana Alba, the leader of one of the most prestigious mermaid performance troupes in the country. When she started her mermaiding career 13 years ago, the industry looked completely different. However, she says the people who’ve found their way to mermaiding have, in many ways, always been cut from a similar cloth.
“I’ve always said that mermaiding self-selects for rebels, renegades and revolutionaries,” Alba tells Tudum. “If two-and-a-half kids and a white picket fence made a lot of sense to you, you probably didn’t find your way to mermaiding. There’s not a whole lot of rules on what you can and can’t do or what you can and can’t be.”
After studying engineering at Penn State, Alba’s career took a turn toward the arts. In 2012, she started mermaiding as a circus art, and in 2016 she founded the Circus Siren Pod, a group of highly skilled professional mermaids who perform across the United States and internationally.
Morgana Alba encouraging Mermaid Sparkles in MerPeople.
Circus Siren Pod is largely considered one of the most prestigious groups in the mermaiding community, a reputation that can be largely credited to Alba’s high standards for entry and rigorous training approach.
“In my company, we typically do one-hour dive shifts, and after that you’re beat,” Alba explains to Tudum. “You’ve got to work your way up to even doing that. The endurance is insane, and the amount of energy that swimming and mermaiding physically take out of you is a shock for hobbyists and professionals alike.”
Today, Alba says that Circus Siren Pod is growing — in fact, since filming wrapped, she’s added both Mermaid Sparkles and Mermaid Chè Monique to the troupe. Circus Siren will also be launching a line of mermaid gear for Pride called Not a Phase, inspired by mermaids in the LGBTQIA+ community. Circus Siren is also expanding their online presence and creating more community events to offer those interested in mermaiding the chance to get involved, including one called Seas the Day.
“Mermaids and puns. Everyone will tell you I hate puns,” Alba says. “But it’s the world I live in.”
Follow Mermaid Morgana Alba and the Circus Siren Pod on Instagram.
Watch MerPeople on Netflix now.
