(Photo: Danny Kim)

The For-Hire Synchronized Swimmer
Rowena Dale Mohammed, head coach and performer for Gotham Synchro

How old are you?
I don’t want to say. I pose as a twentysomething for these performances.

How come?
Clients don’t believe me when I say that our swimmers in their thirties and forties look better than our twentysomethings.

Who are these clients?
Being in New York, we get to show the edgier side of synchro. We’ve done house parties. We did a video for Chromeo. When Soho House was trying to up its profile, we performed at their monthly party.

What kind of music do you swim to?
Upbeat stuff like Lady Gaga and En Vogue. Also Van Morrison.

What are your routines like?
A choreographed routine is us interacting with each other: We’re upside-down, doing spins and somersaults, things like in the Olympics. Unchoreographed is a bit like go-go dancing, but not as crass.

Who all is in the group?
The majority of our women have day jobs. We’re mild-mannered executives and moms by day and water vixens at night.