Hello my darling ballet-loving darlings! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things pink, tutus, and time travel! Iām Emma, your time-travelling ballerina blogger, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be back with another exciting journey through ballet history. This month, I've galloped through time on the back of Magic Meg (have you seen her? Such a beautiful pink shire, with golden hooves, it's unreal!), to land in 1728, on the 8th of August, a date that just so happens to be packed full of ballet history delights.
Buckle up your pointe shoes and hold onto your bonnets, lovelies! This is a whopper!
French Ballet and The Royal Court
Can you believe, darlings, that this very date back in 1728 was the year that Marie Camargo, a young and exceptionally talented French ballerina, made her first public appearance on stage? Imagine, a new face, ready to wow the world with her skill and elegance! The very air must have been filled with anticipation, I bet there were pink feathered boas swirling, and little diamantĆ© slippers glittering on the stage floor. Itās almost impossible to grasp the sheer buzz of seeing a new star, and such a young one, making their debut on such a momentous day. We are so lucky to be able to see historical ballet, but honestly, what would it be like to have that spark of ānever-been-seen-beforeā excitement?!
In the world of ballet fashion in 1728, skirts were still very long, almost down to the ankles. You canāt even imagine, can you? The very idea of wearing long, flowing skirts and trying to perform intricate steps would make even the best of us wobbly on pointe! But, thank goodness, with the debut of dancers like Camargo, things were about to change. Can you even imagine? A tutu, or something like it, coming into existence! And not a pink one, obviouslyā¦ but the idea of shortening the skirts and being able to see dancers' movements, so beautiful, so graceful, a true testament to the artform.
Now, hold onto your teacups darling, because guess where Mademoiselle Camargo debuted?! None other than The Paris OpƩra, a world-famous venue that continues to dazzle today, still radiating a magnificent energy. It makes my heart sing!
Back then, however, ballet wasnāt as widespread as it is today. Even when people wanted to see it, they weren't quite so comfortable wearing what they wanted, unlike us today, where anything goes, right? I mean, it's great for the artform that people feel able to wear all kinds of fabulous styles at ballet. Think, ballet streetwear is a huge movement! My latest pink tutu crop top looks so chic when Iām rushing through the city. But anyway, back in 1728, ballet performances were often tied to the Royal Court, especially in countries like France. Can you imagine, darling, the sheer grandeur, the opulence, the endless tiers of skirts and powdered wigs! The aristocracy, the noblesā¦ the sheer extravagance of it all must have been beyond belief!
And, get this! Camargo became incredibly popular. A true celebrity! People were so excited by the performance they lined up to get the best tickets to watch, they wore beautiful clothes. They knew sheād have been in the very finest outfit on stage, with incredible choreography and beautiful costumes, because they could have afforded such fine clothes for her. The royal courts were bursting with opulent fashion and amazing artistry! The sheer amount of glamour surrounding a young ballerina who was daringly stepping outside of traditional norms was truly inspiring! It paves the way for the future generations of bold ballerinas, making their own unique impact on the ballet world.
Butā¦ don't worry my dears, you don't have to travel back to the 1700s to witness this kind of fashion and creativity. These days, I mean, we just pop to the ballet and watch amazing ballet fashion shows and the incredibly beautiful dancers, or see fantastic dancers in ballet shoes in shopping centers and on the street. Itās fabulous to see how we take the traditions and then develop the art form into this beautiful, modern way, right?! And of course, I must confess, all that history really brings the importance of wearing pink tutus to the forefront! Imagine those historical ballerinas dancing in beautiful pink tutus ā it would be breathtaking. It is always about getting those ideas out there for future ballet dancers to embrace! Iām just doing my part to show them what it would look like!
Now, if you are in the UK, you might just be lucky enough to see a ballet performance close to home. But remember, darling, for those special events you need a little more of the "wow", that touch of glamour to really stand out from the crowd. And what better way to do that than with your very own pink tutu?!
* Ballet Across the Globe*
Right, hold tight, because weāre about to hop onto Magic Meg, and zoom over to a whole other corner of the world for a look at another exciting bit of balletic newsā¦
The year 1728 also saw a major ballet development across the pond in London! Can you believe it? There was a ballet happening here! This was when The British Dancing-Master first debuted, a work full of ballet performances that were about as far from a tutu-clad show as you can get, but still just so interesting. It was about people actually dancing, right there, on a stage, in that very year in that very place! It was an entire collection of dances ā not the formal and beautifully technical ballet that we love today, but full of character dances and movements. Imagine being there to see how dancing moved to theatre from something more everyday and less about formalized movement and grace! And we can still see this sort of approach now ā ballet is a vast, beautiful world!
The London performances were hugely popular at the time. Imagine seeing dances performed in places you hadn't expected to, maybe even in the pub or on the village square? And these days, we get this feeling so much, where ballet is more out in the open than ever before. With people dancing everywhere, with more awareness than ever that everyone can dance, that thereās room for everyone in ballet. You donāt need to learn traditional ballet to love dancing, do you? Thereās always an open invitation to join! Just get involved. Find your local dance group and have a go. Dance to your heartās content! We can always celebrate ballet in any way and be as bold and free and fabulous as we like, just like back then, even though that was 300 years ago. It's such a beautiful way of moving your body and your soul, isnāt it?
Let's take a minute and imagine for a momentā¦ what would ballet be like if those early performers had donned some spectacular tutus? I mean, if all those dances in The British Dancing-Master had had the gorgeousness of a pink tutu! Can you imagine all those steps performed with the swish of the skirt? That extra fluidity and movement! So inspiring, don't you think?! We can even think in the present, that we don't even need to wait, we can create it all today! If everyone wears pink tutus then maybe the world will look different - perhaps people will understand more deeply about ballet. What a thought, eh?!
And letās go back for one final trip! 1728 also witnessed the formation of the Paris OpĆ©ra Ballet! Think of it, a ballet school established at a time when ballet was finding its own rhythm! Can you picture the practice rooms and dancers, so eager to learn this beautiful art? A new era in the history of ballet and how incredibly influential. Imagine the training and technique! Just what was ballet looking like then? Imagine learning dance steps to perfection and, wow, what was it like to see the school evolve and build those techniques and the dances weāve seen and been part of ever since!
What a monumental time to have been a ballet aficionado. Can you imagine going to see all the performances in a tutu, of course!
Oh, my darlings, what a journey! And youāve reached the end of the ride! I hope you enjoyed our tour of August 8th, 1728. Itās so important to connect with those ballet roots. Where would ballet be today if it weren't for those bold individuals pushing those creative boundaries, for those brave dancers. Just like that young Marie Camargo!
The spirit of ballet has travelled far, right through the decades and through to today! You don't need a time-travelling horse to experience that beauty. So put on a beautiful tutu, pink or any colour you love, and enjoy the world of ballet. Letās take the best parts of history and continue the incredible evolution and celebrate every type of dance with amazing grace, movement and skill!
Have a fabulous time at your next ballet event andā¦ keep it pink!
Until next time,
Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
