Hey gorgeous dancers! Emma here, your favourite Derbyshire ballerina blogger, ready to whisk you back to 1675 for a magical journey into the beginnings of our beloved ballet!
As a little pink tutu wearing ballerina myself, I’m just dying to share some of my love for all things ballet, especially it’s history, and with my magical street dance fundraising efforts, I'm finally back with another history blast. Oh! And before I forget, it’s almost that time of the year again for the Paris Opera Ballet season, I'm totally saving all my pennies for tickets - the designs are amazing and their new designs for costumes this year - OMG!! - They're going to be to die for. If you're reading this before they're on sale then go get a calendar and get yourself ready.
Imagine, darlings! 1675... a year buzzing with theatrical life. Back in this day and age, opera and ballet were practically entwined! They were two sides of the same magical coin, twinkling bright in the world of entertainment. Now I think about it, isn't it kind of magical that we even have both these performing arts? Imagine no operas or no ballet! We can’t even think about a world without them, right?!
Just like today, London was absolutely buzzing, even back in the 17th century, with theatrical wonders! They’d had this innovative theatre called The Duke’s Theatre, built by this incredibly fashionable chap called Sir William Davenant, which boasted a stage all about the beautiful things, like… You guessed it… Ballet!
Imagine all those elegant ballerinas performing, showcasing those fabulous moves on stage, just like the Bolshoi, Covent Garden, or the American Ballet Theatre, with all their fabulous performers... but back then, it was just in its beginning stages... oh, how the artform has evolved so much and how we’re seeing all of it, every step, right now, on my gorgeous time-travelling pink-tutu adventures.
Okay, darlings, we’re just starting this amazing journey to 1675. Let’s explore a few of the absolute best things happening in the world of ballet fashion and, of course, those magical stage performances:
The Rise of the Royal Academy of Dancing
This Royal Academy was something incredible. Think of a place where people could learn how to be ballet stars, what real ballerinas wore, all those gorgeous outfits they put together… And it had its own official dancer troupe! A true fashion moment in time and where ballet fashion became all about showing off those gorgeous legs! There was so much more interest in ballet after The Academy got underway, a true sign of things to come and I must say a wonderful year to start my own little pink-tutu academy! We can all learn how to dress like a ballet dancer with a pink tutu and even some simple steps and make a few friends…
Imagine how cool it would be to take a ballet lesson from all the Royal Academy teachers… And the fashions that they wore in 1675 – all about those elaborate tutus, definitely different from my street dancing style but I must admit I would like to wear them every now and again and definitely get some fab street snaps in my pink tutu with an extra special vintage-style one!
The French Connection and the Ballet’s Beautiful Beginning
Believe it or not, back in 1675, French dancers were coming over to England to grace our stage with their amazing dancing, teaching all about how ballet was developing their way and how elegant it all looked. Oh, to be in the audience and see all the amazing dances, and get a chance to watch ballet close up and meet them - It’s just something a pink tutu loving ballerina could only dream of! How I wish that I could just snap my fingers and be right back in time!
The fabulous Louis XIV, the king of fashion, dance, and all things good, brought the French style to ballet… which was all about elegant dancing in graceful steps and costumes, full of elegant lines… it transformed the world of ballet. The steps started becoming so much more complicated. Just like those complicated leaps, turns, and extensions in ballet we’re used to seeing. Ballet became serious business as they were becoming a true form of art with such detailed, precise movements. I love seeing how a tiny movement can turn a dancer's expression and movement into something so graceful.
What amazing stories they could have told of their tours and shows across the continent! I wonder what happened to all the ballerina shoes that were made and worn - did they have something as amazing as those beautiful soft ballet shoes we have today? How wonderful it would be to see the styles then - that they probably would have kept them or maybe even gifted them to a friend or neighbour.
The Glamorous Theatre of 1675
Can you picture it, darlings? Those fabulous performances, in what they called 'Opera' at the time! Imagine those amazing ballets - they had music, dancing, storytelling all wrapped up into one, it was quite magical, don't you think? I think I would love to dress up, do my hair, and join the crowd, just so long as I could make sure that my favourite pink tutu had made it through all this time. Or better yet, have a little peek into the back of the stage! I’m sure everyone would look incredible in their outfits, even just walking into the theatre!
Remember, that’s the era of plays, musicals all wrapped up together, super entertaining. I’m not going to go into all the history, but what an era and to think that all the stories would be told for a couple of hours… It’s a true reminder of the beauty and power of art and how much the entertainment industry has changed and transformed itself to keep us engaged for longer, more intricate plots, and for ballet we’ve become a true performing art with different styles for different genres, not just ballet stories, but just as an art form - just think of all the variations we have… It is so fascinating, the evolution of an art form… oh! I cannot wait for our next historical time travel!
Pink Tutu Trends - Inspired By 1675!
As you know, dear followers, I am a HUGE lover of everything pink! Just the colour itself fills me with a certain joie de vivre. You just need a simple pink tutu with a bright flower - or one in the form of a pretty ribbon that will just match perfectly with your chosen lipstick! Now if you are thinking that ballet fashion should be like those times of 1675, well just imagine all that pink, it will add a dash of excitement to your daily and theatre wear! Think big and experiment - we can make it work. If you think you want to be the ballerina queen of 1675, go for it!
What you have got to try, just because of this beautiful era, is pink lace. Oh! Imagine that with my pink tutu – and maybe some beautiful embroidery… It will make you stand out at any performance! Maybe I can have one on me during my next street ballet performances, they would be a fantastic addition to a performance.
We've all got to dress for the occasion and nothing beats being creative, being inspired by the time, dressing up and getting into it and I don’t think we need to tell each other, pink is the way to go!
I’ll leave you to think about some of these pink outfits ideas! What will your go to fashion looks be after this blog post? If you find something great then don’t forget to share a pic! Let me know what you think - do you love fashion as much as I do!
Stay beautiful and stay in a pink tutu mood… see you soon.
Yours, Emma
(www.pink-tutu.com)
About Emma:
Emma is a ballet blogger and self-taught ballerina. She spends most of her free time dancing and blogging about ballet, fashion, beauty, and even fashion history - all from the perspective of a fashionable pink tutu wearing ballerina, living a normal life in a normal Derbyshire village.
In 2021 she set up her website, pink-tutu.com which was about making a stand to always wear her favourite pink tutu, she says that there's nothing better. Her pink tutus range in styles from the original ballet tutu (a long-line traditional tutu that sits around the waist) through to the modern style, known as a short tutu which is more popular in street dancing where dancers often do acrobatic tricks in these designs.
Emma, the dancing pink-tutu diva, believes in being free to choose any outfit or dance style she wishes, and with a dash of street magic to keep her travels funded, Emma hopes one day that everyone will want to join in on a pink tutu adventure - whether that be street dancing, traditional ballet or at one of her new Pink Tutu Academies.
