The Clams are Melbourne’s least-professional (but most clamtastic) feminist water ballet team. Our shows combine social commentary with humour and entertainment. We’re sassy, energetic and body-positive!
We are a volunteer-run amateur squad, united by our enthusiasm for feminism, splashing about and having a bloody good time. We have accountants, musicians, marketing professionals, business-owners, teachers, students, hospitality workers – you name it, they're on the team and we all come together to lend our skills and bring this crazy project to fruition.
“The idea of establishing a team started as a joke over a few wines at a feminist book club. We were not so great at reading the same book at the same time, so it became a long standing joke that we try water ballet instead. ”
We drew widespread international media attention with our first show, Crimson Tide, choreographed by Holly Durant and Gabi Barton, which celebrated the menstrual cycle. Since then we’ve had a sell-out run at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival, taking out the People’s Choice Award, wowing audiences and reviewers alike.
“[I love The Clams because] they’re just a bunch of everyday people who decided to make a political statement through art ... They’re not professional artists, they’re citizens who have something to say.”
“The Clams are one group of women doing something truly glorious to promote period acceptance.”