Hello darling readers, and welcome back to Pink Tutu Time Travels! Today marks another extraordinary adventure through the annals of ballet history. We’re soaring back to 1750, and you won’t believe the enchanting world of ballet we’re going to explore today.
Remember my trusty steed, Magic Meg? She’s a true vision in pink sparkle – all shimmery and sleek, with golden hooves and a white mane and tail that flow like silk. Well, we’re going for a gallop back in time to 18th century London, a place bursting with elegance, where fashion was a spectacle and where ballet was just beginning to blossom.
It’s hard to believe now, but 1750 London wasn’t the bustling ballet hub we know it to be today. It was a time when Italian influence was strong, and ballet wasn’t truly taking root. This is precisely what I love about time travel – experiencing ballet before it became the celebrated art form we know today.
So, I’m in my most fetching pink tutu, my leather rucksack slung over my shoulder – always prepared to collect memories and ballet treasures from each era. I'm not surprised to find that in this London, opera and pantomime reigned supreme. There were few ballet schools or dedicated theatres. But even then, whispers of ballet magic were floating around!
That's when my favourite London pastime came into play: window shopping. And let me tell you, 18th century fashion was something else! My rucksack is brimming with swatches of the richest silk fabrics and sketches of outfits I want to try myself when we get back. I think a pearl-trimmed pink silk dress might just be the thing!
I did manage to find one ballet performance, though! You wouldn't recognise it as a traditional ballet today – more of a fancy masked ball with some dancing. I was enchanted to see Italian dancers, including a famous fellow called Giuseppe Marchio. Imagine: me in the same room as a ballet legend from history! The performance was mostly for the nobles and landed gentry, in a lavish mansion, which seemed much more of a private gathering than a proper show. It’s fascinating to see ballet emerge so organically – as an intimate, social event, not the elaborate productions we enjoy today.
My journey also led me to the beautiful theatre, Drury Lane! While not strictly a ballet theatre in 1750, it was a hotbed of cultural activity where plays, pantomimes and some forms of dancing would have been showcased. It makes you wonder how these places became such focal points of London theatre – they were truly the start of something spectacular.
This journey is reminding me how much ballet is a celebration of humanity’s creativity and passion. I can see the origins of the majestic ballets of today – all the graceful poses and the stories being told through movement are present even in this earliest stage.
And, speaking of graceful movement… I think I’m ready for a spin. Maybe Magic Meg and I will stop at a beautiful garden and do a few pirouettes for the gentlemen, I can’t help myself. Remember darling readers – every girl deserves a good spin, and a pink tutu looks beautiful twirling in the wind.
Speaking of tutus… if you haven’t yet jumped on the pink tutu bandwagon, it’s not too late. Join us at the next Pink Tutu Time Travel blog. You’re invited to share your own ballet-related stories and photos – tell us what your favorite ballet is!
See you next time!
Emma.
xx.
