Hello fellow tutu lovers! Welcome back to my time-travelling blog! This month I've been flitting through the historical archives, my pink tutu swishing, my leather rucksack stuffed with exciting finds from 1748!
The Magic of Meg and Me
You all know about my trusty steed, Magic Meg. Her glistening pink coat is almost as glamorous as my tutus! Imagine her powerful strides carrying me through the cobblestone streets of London, her hooves echoing like a symphony of clicks. I’ve told you all before, this whole time-travelling thing wouldn’t be possible without my dear Magic Meg! My life, a dance of imagination, fuelled by her boundless energy!
A Royal Dance in London
Today is 5th May 1748. This wasn’t just any day, though, oh no, this was the day of a royal ballet premiere at Covent Garden! Can you believe it? Ballet in 1748? It's all a bit magical!
My trusty backpack (it's surprisingly roomy!) was overflowing with maps, pamphlets, even sketches of the dancers. The story tells us this particular performance was something truly special: a French ballet based on ‘L’Amour de Psyché’ – that’s ‘The Love of Psyche’ in plain English! I simply couldn’t miss it.
Imagine, a grand theatre bursting with light, with elegant ladies in silks and satins, and dapper gentlemen in wigs and powdered coats! Oh, the drama! Imagine the beautiful costumes! This is before the age of tutus, you know. It's a whole different ballet world then! I tried on a hoop skirt from that era, just to see how the dancers moved, and I could barely turn my head, let alone jump and pirouette!
The story itself sounds thrilling, too! I hear it’s based on an ancient Greek myth about Psyche, a young princess who fell in love with Cupid! Think Shakespeare in a whirlwind of dance! Imagine a mix of poetry, song, and pantomime – a ballet feast for the senses!
Ballet fashion back then... a glimpse behind the curtain
I absolutely love the history of ballet, and back in those days, the ballet dress, though still incredibly grand, was quite different to ours today! Imagine flowing silk skirts with ornate bodices, heavy fabrics for elegant postures and dramatic gestures. It was an entirely different way of performing!
As a little bonus for you all, I was lucky enough to discover an early sketch for a costume in this very ballet! I just can’t wait to recreate it, and, yes, of course, I’m thinking of doing a ballet inspired by this, incorporating some pink, because who can resist?
Keeping My Blog, Keeping my Passion
Sharing my passion for dance is my greatest joy, and it's what helps fund my time travels, too. After each ballet performance I give, I always sell the little sketches, the old photographs, and any trinkets I manage to collect along my travels. They fly off the shelves, darling! So I'm off to dance again soon – and don’t forget to pop by the www.pink-tutu.com website for details.
*And Don't Forget… *
And please, please do let me know if you'd like to learn about ballet history too! If there’s anything you’d love to know about, from past ballet dancers, to what tutus looked like in the 16th Century, send me a message – I love a good research quest!
And, as always, my dearest readers, keep twirling, keep dreaming, and keep spreading the magic of ballet! Remember, it’s a dance for every body and for every spirit. Oh, and let’s make sure that everyone, absolutely everyone, is sporting a pink tutu one day! Until next month, my lovelies. Au revoir!
Yours in Pink,
Emma.
