Throughout the four episodes of MerPeople, the new documentary series about the little-known but expansive world of professional mermaids, we see Brittany “Sparkles” Mermaid working in more ways than one to make her dreams come true. She waits tables in between taking local gigs at birthday parties in Little Rock, Arkansas, describing herself as a “landlocked mermaid.” She constantly tries to improve her craft, researching everything she can to improve her mermaid skills. And, she saves her tips to go to Mermaid Morgana Alba’s MerMagicCon, a yearly convention where mermaids go to showcase their talents. Alba founded the Circus Siren Pod, a group of highly skilled professional mermaids that are considered elite within the community.
“I came across the Circus Siren Pod years ago, and I thought they were amazing,” Sparkles tells Tudum. “They were a traveling mermaid pod with traveling tanks, and I thought it would be the wildest dream come true to be able to perform with them all. I went and auditioned years ago, and I was having a bad day — I did not make it, and I took it really hard, but it also motivated me to try again someday, when the opportunity was to arise.”
In MerPeople, we get to see that opportunity arrive — but unfortunately, Sparkles still doesn’t quite make the cut. However, her tenacity and ambition to keep going is really what makes her story so unique. For her, mermaiding has never come “easy,” but her passion for it is what makes her tick — much like professional athletes who devote their lives to their chosen sport.
“I see mermaiding as an extreme art form, in that we practice it intricately, and try to refine it or clean it up and be better, to push our limits,” Sparkles explains.
Throughout the series, Sparkles pushes her limits to a sometimes alarming degree. We see her affected by eye-burning amounts of chlorine, freezing cold water and a swimming routine that would exhaust even the fittest of natural athletes. All of it, she says, is difficult — but it’s also all worth it if you’re trying to become the mermaid of your own dreams.
“I wanted to show the world how hard it can be,” Sparkles says, “But also how much life it brings to myself and to others. When you have a big goal and a passion in life that drives you and lights your heart and soul on fire, that’s worth fighting for.”
Fans of Sparkles and MerPeople, get ready for your full circle moment: Though we don’t see Sparkles make it into Circus Siren Pod in the series, she recently did another trial run for Alba and her team.
“I’m so happy to say, I finally made it,” Sparkles says. “After all these years and trials and tribulations and training, I was finally accepted into the Circus Siren Pod.”
You can follow Mermaid Sparkles on Instagram here.
Watch MerPeople on Netflix now.
