Hello my darling tutu-lovers! Welcome back to another exciting adventure through time with me, Emma, your friendly neighbourhood pink tutu-wearing, ballet-obsessed time traveller! This month, I'm whisking you away to April 4th, 1686, for a very special occasion: the very first ballet performance I could actually witness with my own eyes! And trust me, darling, it's a day that will stay with me forever.
Now, you see, my darling readers, while there have been historical accounts of dances with stories and intricate steps performed long before 1686, none of them were truly 'ballet' as we understand it. Until that is, 1686 arrived, bringing with it Le Triomphe de l'Amour – an early ballet spectacle commissioned for King Louis XIV's birthday celebrations.
Think, my lovelies, Swan Lake, Giselle and Sleeping Beauty, all the breathtakingly beautiful ballets we know and adore today, began their lineage with this revolutionary work. And guess who performed it? The iconic, elegant and dazzlingly talented, Mademoiselle de La Fontaine. This talented lady not only took part in the production, she also co-designed it!
Can you imagine, my darlings, being a woman in that time, when women were confined to domestic roles and to even step into the limelight would have been seen as bold, rebellious and almost unthinkable, this incredible lady designed a work which celebrated love and beauty and was so groundbreaking that it set a new course for theatrical entertainment? A vision indeed, my dear readers, a real inspiration.
You see, before this point, ballet, what we know it as today, hadn't yet fully formed. It wasn't yet the art form we hold so close to our hearts, all swirling tutus, beautiful music and perfectly pointed shoes. There were of course dances, there was even the introduction of ballet steps by dancers such as the Italian Cesare Negrini in 1672, and there was the beautiful courtly dance 'courtly ballet', where, the lovely king and his gentlemen were dancing. But there were still no shoes with those magnificent pointed toes, ballet had yet to blossom, you see. The dance and story became intertwined later.
And so, my dear lovelies, on this historic April day, Magic Meg, my trusty shire horse (always decked out in a pink-satin blanket of course!), carried me to the heart of France, right to Versailles itself. My dear readers, the chateau was like nothing I've ever seen before - immense, regal, ornate beyond belief! The grounds, dotted with charming ponds and cascading fountains, seemed almost unreal. And then there was the Palace itself, filled with gilded mirrors reflecting the intricate chandeliers, the exquisite tapestries that adorned every wall… my, it was all simply enchanting.
Naturally, before heading to the performance itself, I had to visit the ballet shop, L'Atelier des Danseurs. They had the most beautiful dance attire, with satin, silks, lace trimmings, some simple velvet shoes and most importantly, darling, lots and lots of ribbons! I was particularly smitten with some pretty pastel coloured bodices with silver embroidery. The French certainly knew their fashion. I did of course treat myself to a few of those beauties as well as a wonderful new ribbon for my hair which matched the light blue satin bodice, my lovely! I was a little overwhelmed by all the gorgeousness of it all!
Oh darling, I know, I'm terrible for leaving the shop, my beautiful treasures unwrapped in their boxes within my rucksack, so that I could capture some photos! The lighting, my loves, was so divine. They hadn’t the electrical lights then you see so everything was bathed in a wonderful warm candlelight, just beautiful. I didn't want to leave for ages!
The actual performance itself was quite extraordinary. It had dancing and storytelling that was quite beautiful and there was lots of theatricality to it with elaborate costumes and very long flowing silk gowns, not just a bunch of ballet shoes pointing in a rigid line! The dancers wore colourful garments, their long braids adorned with ribbons and pearls, making the movements and poses that they made quite magnificent.
There was of course, much dancing. You’ll forgive me darling for not getting very good pictures – there wasn’t any light to capture them on, remember. But, trust me, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen such graceful, elaborate choreography – I do hope my time travelling will allow me to capture these moments, you see! But alas, the only way was to draw from memory, and of course I made lots of sketches, my lovely.
Imagine, dear readers, beautiful dancing in magnificent gardens lit by firelight. The dances were beautiful, they had some leaps, some jumps, some beautiful poses that they held with exquisite poise. It was magical.
Then came the costumes, my darling! Oh the beautiful silks, the intricate ribbons, and those delicate fabrics. They just seemed to float about on them. But more importantly than that was that a lot of those early dancers, they used a different type of fabric. We will have to explore that some time later, my lovelies.
But the very best bit of the evening was that one of those costumes - oh, my loveliest readers, you won't believe it, the costume worn by the leading lady (mademoiselle de La Fontaine, darling, the wonderful actress and dancer!) was a beautiful light-blue satin with delicate pearls woven through it. And what did she have over the bodice you ask? Yes, dear, a light, shimmering pink tutu!
Can you imagine it my lovelies, in that golden firelight? It looked like a beautiful pink cloud as she swirled across the stage, and I don’t know how they managed it, but as she jumped and turned, the soft pink tulle spun outwards as though a celestial pink wind was powering its every twist. I, my dears, couldn’t resist grabbing a snippet of the fabric, and as a true lover of history, I tucked it in my pink leather rucksack, alongside my sketches and a few scraps of satin that I just couldn’t resist snaffling from L'Atelier des Danseurs. (Sorry, but you know how much I love fashion!).
The entire event was a joyous and enchanting experience, a delight to see such beauty in motion in such magnificent surroundings. The excitement of this very special evening really brought back how ballet’s a beautiful thing, my lovelies, the elegant movement, the stunning gowns and of course, those incredible dances!
Le Triomphe de l'Amour, in its simplicity and raw passion, was the true beginnings of ballet, as we understand it today.
As I rode Magic Meg through the starlit night, the beautiful shimmering light from the Versailles moon, bathing her white mane and tail in a pink glow, I couldn’t stop thinking about how, if it were not for this one-off dance spectacle back in 1686, what would the wonderful ballet performances, the dazzling dancers, and the stunning ballerinas we see today be like?
The world would certainly be a lot less fabulous, darling. We have so much to thank Mademoiselle de La Fontaine for!
Until next month darling, don’t forget, if you want to celebrate this exciting ballet journey, do what I always do: make it pink, embrace a tutu and let your passion for the world of ballet be your inspiration.
Oh, and darling, I must confess, there is just so much to talk about with Le Triomphe de l'Amour, it will feature heavily on this site throughout the month!
Love you lots, darling!
Emma
xxx
And please darling don't forget, follow my latest pink-tutu creations on Instagram at #pinktutu, visit www.pink-tutu.com for all your ballet history, fashion, performance and dance needs! My newest time travel diary is due to be released at the beginning of the month so watch out for that, my lovely! And lastly don’t forget to send in your most favourite ballets and the ones you think I must travel back in time and see.
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