Hello, darlings! Itâs your favourite pink-loving ballerina blogger, Emma, back with another fabulous time-travel escapade. This month, Magic Meg and I have galloped through the time-warp to 1st January, 1714. Now, I know what youâre thinking â no tutus back then? But fear not, my lovelies! History, even in its earliest days, has a certain charm when it comes to dance.
I confess, when we first arrived, it felt a little...well...lacking. Think cobbled streets, heavy horse-drawn carriages, and a lot of men in tights (though I'm sure you'll agree, those weren't quite the same as a ballet dancer's tights, were they?). The ballet scene in 1714, my dears, was practically non-existent! Think more elaborate courtly dances, elaborate ballrooms, and a whole lot of minuet. But donât be disheartened, there's always a silver lining to a tutu-less world!
Firstly, I had to get Magic Meg, my sparkling shire horse with the golden hooves and white mane and tail, some of those new, "improved" horse blankets, made with more luxurious materials like velvet, and perhaps some embroidery of little ballerinas doing arabesques - they looked rather forlorn in the cold English winter! We must do what we can for our dear equestrian friends.
My first port of call was a visit to London, but it was nothing like the bustling metropolis I knew, but even the very centre felt somehow quieter, slower. It wasn't hard to find a lovely cobbled courtyard where I could slip on my trusty pink tutu for some graceful poses while a friendly cobbler, quite amused by the whole scene, did my shoelace! Now, a pink tutu was pretty avant-garde back then, I might have gotten some strange looks but they also sparked the kindest conversations with the people there. One kind lady even said she thought the pink complimented my complexion!
Speaking of things we can all learn from this era, fashion played a large role, not just in how people presented themselves but also how they danced. My favourite find in the old markets was a beautiful silks scarf - an extravagant indulgence in the time, perfect for wrapping around the shoulders and giving just a hint of glamour and flow to my dances, don't you agree? And yes, my lovelies, even though I couldn't exactly pull out a pair of sparkly pointe shoes and find a barre for my barre workout, we did learn some truly lovely dances, especially the Gavotte. I found it very charmingly elegant! Imagine - me and the Gavotte...and the most delicious gossip, which reminded me that my grandmotherâs favourite ballet shoes were those with velvet ribbons.
Now, for you ballet enthusiasts, this era was pretty quiet, but in my leather rucksack, I found a gem - a glimpse into ballet in France - specifically at the AcadĂ©mie Royale de Danse. Yes, it already had a name, so how did the name âballetâ start? There was Jean-Baptiste Lully who led the AcadĂ©mie Royale de Musique in Paris and his troupe were already famous for their beautiful, lavish theatrical presentations! Can you imagine? A troupe of dancers working in an AcadĂ©mie - thatâs one heck of a team! It gave me hope for future performances and the chance to learn from other amazing ballet masters and mistresses! Oh how I love learning about all this history and you can imagine that, right back to this time, people would love a chance to be able to hop on a horse to escape to some wonderful, dancing world.
I'm feeling rather inspired. Perhaps in our next journey, we will discover a historical period with more of a theatrical ballet culture, who knows? Meanwhile, donât forget to keep those tutus twirling, darlings!
Emma x
P.S. Do check out my blog: www.pink-tutu.com I post once a month!
