Hello darlings, and welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things ballet, pink and time travel! It’s your girl Emma here, back with another historical adventure – and trust me, this one’s a real humdinger.
Today, we’re skipping back in time to April 1703 – imagine, the Queen Anne era! To get us there, I've hitched a ride on Magic Meg, my trusty, shimmering pink Shire horse with golden hooves. Did I mention Meg’s mane and tail are the whitest, silkiest things you’ve ever seen? It’s a real fairytale combo!
The journey to 1703 is always an experience. Imagine, dear readers, galloping through time – the wind whipping through my hair, the smell of freshly cut grass and spring blooms in the air, the thrill of the unknown! As I zoom through time, I always ensure my signature pink tutu stays wrinkle-free. My new pink tutu, embroidered with little swans, has just the right amount of tulle, you know? It flows beautifully with Meg's majestic stride!
Once we arrive in 1703, the first thing I notice is the lack of pink! You'd think, wouldn't you, with Queen Anne and all, that this would be the time of pink petticoats and pink bodices galore! But alas, not yet. Think of pastel colours, with muted floral prints, think ladies dressed like a giant floral arrangement in all the wrong shades! They do seem quite interested in my tutu though, particularly the children. You wouldn't believe how many little ones want to try it on!
As you know, I adore my time-travel satchel! My prized collection of antique ballet memorabilia just keeps expanding! My mission today was to gather snippets of ballet history from this period – not as straightforward as you’d think, darling! In 1703, "ballet" wasn’t quite what we know it to be now. This era was more about “opera ballet”, where singers were front and centre with intricate court dances woven throughout! But I have a feeling we'll be seeing this ballet theatre evolution develop rapidly – all the elements are bubbling underneath the surface just waiting for their moment to shine. I’m sure the ballet masters are already busily whipping up some grand productions!
You know what I've also been noticing on my time travel adventures? While I do find myself being the centre of attention in each era, I’m not alone! Every once in a while, there's another ballerina like me time travelling – but our style is so different! You see, it’s a competition of sorts! My aim is to get everyone wearing pink tutus - even back in this century! Some of the other ballerinas I've encountered prefer blue, black, and even silver! Well, pink, naturally, is my thing. I'll always choose a blushy tutu! The vibrant pink adds a real sense of whimsy and optimism to my journeys through time, a dash of playfulness!
There are a lot of other women dancing at this time – though "ballarina" wouldn't really apply. These women, like Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, would likely be found waltzing in the grand ballrooms. And it wasn't just the aristocracy, darling! There's so much dancing taking place for ordinary people too - folk dances, morris dances, and even a few early country dances starting to take shape. I could happily spend a whole lifetime learning and performing all the dance steps from these periods – maybe that’s a future blog post for you all!
However, let’s get back to my ballet treasures – oh, did I tell you about the incredible 1703 dance book I just bought?! Well, it's just a collection of handwritten dance notation – it’s quite baffling to me at times but utterly captivating. And let me tell you, it looks nothing like modern dance notation – and certainly doesn’t involve a stick-figure on a tiny stave with a few random letters. Nope, it’s much more visually intricate. Like some kind of intricate tapestry – and every little detail, darling, tells you exactly how to move! I think you’ll find me sharing that treasure soon - after a good read through myself, of course!
After a fabulous day, we are about to gallop through time back to Derbyshire. This journey back has left me yearning for the big-time spectacle that the grand ballrooms of the eighteenth century could boast - with the fashion and frippery and fancy! A lovely lady (though perhaps a bit less thrilled than I with my tutus), mentioned something about opera-ballets performed at court during these times – though you couldn’t catch a glimpse unless you were of a certain social standing! Still, I feel it’s all too tempting. You just KNOW that there are incredible costumes and beautiful music waiting to be uncovered!
I’ll let you know what I find next time.
Remember, darlings, stay fabulous and keep your tutus pink!
Love, Emma 🩰💕
P.S. Now that I’m back, let’s talk a little about my other favorite things - ballet shows!
There's just nothing quite like seeing ballet in action – it takes the elegance of this art form and transforms it into something magical. There are so many fantastic ballet performances going on in Derbyshire this month - oh, let’s go have some fun! You’ll find me next week at The Derby Theatre, darling. They have the most wonderful show – The Nutcracker. This show, you just can’t miss. The dazzling costumes, the fantastic set designs, the iconic music – I mean, really, a bit of Tchaikovsky is always a good idea! Plus, the performers, of course, are utterly fantastic. You simply have to experience it for yourselves. I hope to see you all there!
And of course, I am dying to hear your feedback about your favorite performances too, so leave me a comment below, darling.
