Hello, lovelies! It's your favourite pink tutu-clad blogger, Emma, back with another peek into the captivating history of ballet. This time, we're time-hopping to the year 1711 - a year bursting with artistic innovation and the sparkle of what we know and love today as ballet!
Picture this: the streets of Paris are bustling with life, but the heart of the city is truly at the Opéra de Paris, the original house of ballet, opened just five years before in 1661. Oh, darling, imagine the opulence, the anticipation, the gasps as the curtain rises for a brand new dance! It's like stepping into a fairy tale, only with silk, satin, and maybe some plumes!
I am living for this time period - the birth of ballet, when the steps were just starting to blossom into a proper vocabulary. It's like watching your favourite designer develop her signature style for the very first time! Imagine watching a young Chanel create her iconic quilted handbag, only, in this case, it's a ballerina who's making a leap from simple, yet stunning, movements into more elaborate leaps, pirouettes and chaînés. Excitement!
While ballet wasn't quite the international phenomenon it is today (I dream of the day every country has a dedicated pink tutu wearer, like myself!), it was already beginning to enchant the hearts and minds of Parisian audiences. The crème de la crème would have flocked to these shows, their beautiful silks and brocades practically vying for attention with the artistry on stage. Think: elegant panniers, frills, bonnets adorned with feathers – all the finery a girl like me would dream of!
Oh, the ballet fashion! Even though it was all about courtly gowns, lavish coats and hats, I can't help but think of the potential! A hint of pink tulle at the edge of a skirt? Maybe a velvet ribbon echoing the colour of the lead ballerina's bodice? I'm already sketching outfits, darling.
1711 also saw a ballet called "Le Carnaval des Plaisirs." A delightful name for a sparkling night of performance, don't you think? Sadly, the story's lost to time (unless one of you clever girls can uncover some hidden scrolls), but just imagining the dancers weaving through their choreography in such lavish settings gets my toes tapping and my heart racing!
Speaking of toes, I've been lucky to slip through time again recently and catch a glimpse of what I imagine "Le Carnaval des Plaisirs" might have been like! Imagine: a theatre with elaborate décor, sparkling chandeliers and candlelight – a sight that would bring tears of joy to a fashionista's eyes.
I had the most extraordinary dream while I was enchanted in 1711: a magnificent ballet set in a fairytale kingdom with costumes that sparkled like the morning dew. There were intricate gowns in colours so bold and vivid, it's almost impossible to describe – imagine if Marie Antoinette and an enchanted forest got together! Oh, I am already envisioning the tutus I'll be wearing when I return to this world!
Now, if you'll excuse me, lovelies, I have to get my own outfit for tonight's street performance. My dream was so vibrant, so colourful! Perhaps a pink tulle tutu with a splash of royal blue? Or maybe a flowing champagne satin skirt with hints of silver glitter to really make a statement? The choice is endless!
As always, keep those tutus twirling and don't forget to follow me on Pink Tutu – I’ve got some extra special posts coming soon!
See you on the dance floor, darling!
Bisous, Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
