Hello fellow tutu-lovers! It's your girl, Emma, here, ready to whisk you away to another spectacular era!
July the 7th, 1694 - a date that marks a pivotal moment in ballet history, particularly for us Brits! It was on this very day that the very first professional ballet company in England, the Company of Dancing Masters, graced the stage. That's right, ladies! We're talking history in the making, and it all started right here in Blighty!
Imagine, if you will, a theatre bursting with the chatter of London's elite, the air thick with anticipation as the curtain rises on the first professionally choreographed ballet, The Loves of Mars and Venus, by none other than John Weaver. Could you even imagine the scandal? The daring moves? The sheer spectacle?
It's got to be said, they certainly weren't dancing in pink tutus yet, darling. More likely stiff, starched garments that might've resembled more of a ballet costume from Swan Lake than anything else. But for a pioneering performance, wouldn't you say it was positively fabulous?
Let me tell you, there was nothing stopping the Company of Dancing Masters from putting on a showstopper. And they had the whole ballet thing down pat: their performers were all experts in le sauts, pas de bourree and the relevé... they were elite! This company really set the standard, and they put England firmly on the map in the ballet world.
Oh! I forgot to tell you, my journey to 1694 wouldn't have been possible without my darling Meg! Yes, she's a sparkling pink shire - the only kind of horse fitting for a pink tutu queen, wouldn't you say?
And this is the thing about 1694 - a totally glamorous era to be in, as far as horses go. I had Meg looking absolute queen in her glorious white tail, matching white mane and sparkling golden hooves. She stood out like a true show-stopper! I was so happy I wore my bright pink tutu for the journey too - all the way from Derbyshire! And there was me thinking it would be a bit cold. Nope! Meg's shimmering coat kept me toasted. It was freezing here back then, you know! Even London was chilly. Shiver
On this trip, the girls at the Pink-Tutu office in Derbyshire let me take the pink leather satchel to bring back some souvenirs - there's a huge stack of vintage books about ballet history and a couple of ballet scores - they look really rather nice! Maybe even an authentic piece of balletic history?! You've got to love those antique scores. The notes are beautiful. It’s something magical to see. I'll show them off in a special post next week.
Talking of vintage and historical, this period also brought something truly exciting: The first* dance steps published ever in England, the *"Terpsichore's Art Made Easy". Can you *imagine what a big deal this was?! Absolutely massive for all you budding dancers. Now everyone could get serious about their ballet!
The whole London theatre world was abuzz. If you didn't catch a performance, then you weren't anybody! And the crowds just loved it. From that very moment everything was about ballet spectacles, and ballet itself began to really flourish in England.
Just imagine, my dears. It must have been the greatest sight - everyone dressed to the nines, the grand ballroom glittering, and then those incredible performances taking everyone by storm. Now, if only they knew what an absolute sensation a pink tutu would make in such a setting! It wouldn’t take long for all of London to adopt the pink tutu as their own - the perfect statement for the queen bee of the night. The perfect statement in any century.
You know, even my blog feels a little dated with the vintage pink. Think it might need an update. Maybe I'll have some more hot pink or hot fuchsia for next month's post. I just have to work out the colour to make Meg's coat really shimmer, and, of course, get those shoes sorted, to give them a serious sparkle. I wonder if I could convince the Queen to take ballet lessons? She would look amazing in a tutu. Just imagine. What a look.
This has been such an amazing ballet journey for me and my pink tutu and the best part of it, you know, is that you are a part of it! I’m looking forward to sharing so many more spectacular stories and discovering more of the world of ballet with you. Don't forget to visit our website, www.pink-tutu.com. Catch you next month!
