Hello fellow ballet lovers, and welcome to Pink Tutu Travels! This month, I’m venturing back in time to the glorious 17th century – not to mention my favourite era for ballet fashion - the age of Louis XIV, the Sun King himself. I’m here to tell you all about what’s on in the world of ballet on the 5th of May 1683. But before we dive in, I thought you might like a sneak peek into my most recent journey back in time on Magic Meg - my fabulous pink sparkling shire horse who loves trotting through time with me!
My journey was filled with dazzling pink frills and fabulous performances – and it wouldn’t have been complete without my trusty pink tutu, which is getting rather a lot of admiring glances. I do love a pretty tulle, don’t you? As for me, I'm sporting a brand new pink sparkly bolero and knee-length pink chiffon dress with white silk ribbons – very Parisian chic, wouldn't you say? It’s perfectly suited to a journey through the courtly era and has been getting lots of appreciative stares! It all ties together rather beautifully with my new ballet pumps that match the dress, even down to the sweet pink pearl detailing I had added specially. It is just heavenly!
Right, I'll introduce you to Magic Meg – my amazing travel companion! Meg is a magical pink sparkling shire horse, a vision in pink and white with a glistening white mane and tail – you really have to see her! She has gold-tipped hooves and they can transport us to anywhere in the world - at any time, simply by me clicking the tiny silver clockwork mounted on her collar. Her reins are trimmed with matching pink and silver ribbons, naturally, and a tiny saddle which looks almost like it has been taken straight from a French fashion magazine. I really love my little Meg! She's a true treasure!
Back to my trip! So this month, I’m back in time to the 5th of May 1683, in the opulent halls of the grand Palace of Versailles, where the glorious Louis XIV is ruling with absolute style! And you just know ballet has a place in this gorgeous setting.
As you can imagine, there’s no way I'm visiting such an important historical period without bringing my rucksack packed full of lovely goodies! Inside is my notebook for recording stories of this time, a sparkly pink camera (which will be tucked away during the journey - so as not to disturb the timeline!) and a brand new ballet shoe from my own personal collection! The pair I chose is from a well-known, highly sought-after shoe brand: a soft, pink ballet shoe, the colour of the dawn sky. They’re adorned with a sparkly silver trim, matching the clockwork on Meg’s collar - and my bag – they are so elegant they deserve their own spot in the rucksack! The tutu will have to go in its own carrying bag – as it needs all the attention, naturally!
The 17th century was an amazing era for ballet - especially in France. It's where ballet became truly "professional." Even before, Louis XIII's Queen, Marie de Medici, had a great love of the dance – the Italian Ballet was making waves across the courts of Europe. But it was Louis XIV himself who made ballet into an essential art form and developed it with style and panache! This was all during a time when dance, theatre and the opera were merging into a single beautiful artistic spectacle! Louis XIV himself, a passionate ballerino even took the stage with his courtiers in a magnificent dance piece called 'Le Ballet de la Nuit'! (It was quite something seeing him dance and I'm told the court applauded wildly, not for the King’s obvious talent for ballet, but for his obvious, dare I say, superlative skill at all of his activities.)
But Louis XIV's influence extended beyond the theatre, too. I was thrilled to discover, during my stay, that the King established a new ballet company – called “Académie Royale de Danse." That's quite an achievement, isn’t it? This new company, and its new teachers, were trained up to an extremely high standard - it was a very strict training regimen for all of those young dancers undergoing their dance education! But just as well, I suppose! I’m told these early ballet teachers really were strict: "They could only see one sort of talent – an ability to express themselves beautifully, gracefully, with real finesse and power – which of course requires enormous self discipline and concentration.” (But don't worry – we can always relax with a good gossip later! ). The teachers had an extremely strict, but passionate goal: to encourage their students to "embody" each character – to be the character, in all their emotional nuances. They must "think and breathe like them" if you will ... all of which leads to very impressive, and well-disciplined, performances!
Imagine a whole Academy full of dancers! Now just imagine their costume choices! The ballet fashion is what really excites me, as a huge fashion enthusiast. It is simply incredible – it's no wonder Louis XIV called it “l'art de la danse”. A bit pompous but I understand – this new art form is totally dazzling, even when you have been to ballet classes since the tender age of 5 and you’re quite a professional ballerina yourself! These dancers have such wonderful, theatrical costumes. It was amazing to see them come to life - so incredibly flamboyant – a bit like a ballroom explosion! You must see it all with your own eyes - a magnificent sight, really. Think: satin and silk, and an explosion of colours and fabrics ... pink, of course, but also red, silver and gold! But more important than anything were the feathers – the feathers!
We simply had to indulge in some shopping while in the French capital. What would be better than visiting the amazing feathers, silk, and satin emporium! My pink tulle dress looked quite magnificent alongside all of these dazzling fabrics. We have to be fashionable if we are to time travel.
In the late 17th century, dancers began to move with a whole new lightness of touch. The ballet footwear was lighter than the massive dance boots worn by 16th century dancers! Even then, their ballet shoes had gone through a big change in design ... they were becoming more like the shoes that I've become accustomed to – more delicate. (Oh, how I miss those delicious little shoes that fit so perfectly! But you’ll have to wait for a different blog to learn about them).
I got back just in time to perform in a benefit for my ballet teacher, a kind lady who taught me everything I know. She did a beautiful rendition of ‘Dying Swan’ - we danced side by side on stage to great applause, my dress and her white feathers swishing in the air – truly beautiful. I've got a photo to add to the blog (though I have to edit out her face for her privacy).
So until next time, stay happy and sparkly - let me know your thoughts on this period, and do make sure you subscribe to my blog: www.pink-tutu.com so you don't miss the next one! Do wear pink!
Your Time-Travelling Ballerina, Emma.
