Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood time-travelling ballerina, and welcome back to Pink Tutu! Today, I'm taking you on a delightful jaunt to the year 1686, specifically 12th December! My trusty steed, the dazzling Magic Meg, pawed impatiently as I slipped into my favourite, perfectly pink, tulle masterpiece, ready for another historical escapade.
You see, my passion for all things ballet isn't limited to the stage - it's an insatiable desire to explore its history, to understand the evolution of the art form that brings such joy and grace to the world. And how better to do that than by leaping through time, right?!
Now, this trip to 1686 wasn't planned. I was happily waltzing through the bustling streets of 18th-century Paris, buying the most beautiful ballet shoes, when Magic Meg gave me a very decisive nudge, pulling me towards a glittering portal! It felt like we were swept back through the ages in the blink of an eye, landing with a gentle thump in a quaint little courtyard in what I later discovered was a London suburb.
The 17th-century atmosphere was something straight out of a novel! I love the old-fashioned charm - cobblestone streets, picturesque buildings with their crooked windows, and the rhythmic clang of blacksmith hammers echoing through the air. It was a captivating change from the Parisian scene, and even Magic Meg was awestruck by the transformation.
Now, 1686, what was going on in the ballet world? This was an exciting period, as the world was witnessing the early stages of ballet’s transformation. The grand court ballets, more spectacle than storyline, were evolving into more refined, focused forms of expression, the groundwork for the modern ballet we know and love! Imagine – the foundations of pirouettes and elegant poses, being meticulously crafted in that very moment!
However, there wasn't a grand performance on the bill today. What really captivated me was the street theatre. The 17th-century street scene, with its itinerant performers and troupes of travelling actors, felt like a kaleidoscope of stories unfolding in every nook and cranny. We stumbled upon a group of street performers, with a makeshift stage of old planks and a colourful backdrop of vibrant fabric, dancing with incredible passion and joy! Even the cobbled streets echoed their rhythmic steps as they spun, leaped, and pirouetted, their movements, while rough around the edges, oozed an unbridled zest for storytelling and spectacle! This, my darlings, was the heart and soul of dance in 1686, not in grand opera houses, but in the pulsating veins of life on the streets!
I could sense the future of ballet in those spontaneous bursts of energy and raw expression, and as I filled my leather rucksack with fascinating sketches, stories, and little snippets of what felt like true "street" dance, I couldn't help but think – how many stories are still buried in these old streets? How many talented souls with dreams of expressing themselves through movement walked these cobbled paths? I promised myself to find those stories, to unearth the hidden ballet gems from those fascinating bygone times.
Back in my time, there's been so much talk about bringing ballet into the community, but how often do we look back at where ballet was birthed? It wasn't in polished academies – it was on the streets, in village squares, born from the shared joy of movement and storytelling! Maybe we can draw inspiration from that raw passion and inject that back into the heart of dance today!
After a heart-warming evening in this vibrant courtyard, filled with laughter, street dancing, and a few mugs of hot cider (warming my little ballerina body, you see), we bid adieu to 1686! It’s time to head back, with a bagful of inspiration, and a heart brimming with passion for this captivating art form.
So, darlings, while you may not have a pink-sparkling shire horse waiting to whisk you off to the past, let’s embrace the spirit of ballet, its story, and its potential, in its truest, most authentic form!
As for my next adventure, who knows what the magical portal might have in store? Keep your eyes on www.pink-tutu.com for my next travel post, and be sure to embrace the spirit of pink – it’s infectious!
With pirouetting love,
Emma, The Time-Travelling Ballerina
