Hello darlings! It's Emma, your Pink Tutu Time Traveller, back again with another adventure in the swirling world of ballet history. This month, I'm taking you all the way back to the 18th century, specifically, 4th April, 1756. You'll never guess what we're going to find… drum roll ... A ballet debut!
Magic Meg and I are in London town, the streets buzzing with activity, cobbled and teeming with life. We've just arrived in this vibrant heart of the theatre scene, excited for tonight's grand opening. You see, the lovely folks in London have been busy building the first public opera house – drum roll The King's Theatre Haymarket, in all its grand glory!
I always say, there's nothing quite like seeing a new performance space blossom, like a flower bud opening up to the sun. The King's Theatre is meant to be spectacular, and rumour has it, this first performance is something special: a grand new ballet called Le Ballet des Bouffons. Can you imagine? My heart is simply aflutter!
The whole town is a buzz, with beautiful dresses, carriages going everywhere, and the air thick with anticipation. As always, my backpack is prepped, ready to soak up all the magic of the era: stories, costumes, any hints of ballet tradition I can find, anything at all that might spark some fabulous fashion ideas back in our own time! I've already added a gorgeous feathered hat – something truly unique for my personal collection.
I've also got a secret: I snuck into a practice earlier this afternoon! Such a joy to watch the dancers – they move with grace, with a spirit of energy I haven't seen in some time. These beautiful dancers are so full of passion and life, all wearing the most magnificent attire: delicate layers of silks and velvet, all tied up with bows and frills, some even in breeches! You could feel the history swirling around them, their dancing woven from the same threads as the grand tradition that inspired it all!
Of course, I wasn't without a touch of Pink Tutu glamour, naturally. I managed to slip into the costume closet before they noticed – don't worry, the door was already slightly ajar – and found an array of glorious fabrics, shimmering and silky. I had to pinch myself to be sure I was real, then grabbed the brightest, pinkest, and most fabulous piece I could find and, with a quick and easy flick, turned it into the most delightful pink tutu ever seen. It looked perfectly at home amongst those antique costumes and swirling skirts, making me feel right at home as well.
But back to the King's Theatre, because the ballet I'm about to see isn't just any old performance, darling, it's about to start a whole new chapter in the world of ballet. You see, Le Ballet des Bouffons is inspired by an Italian style of comic opera called 'Opera Buffa' – something excitingly new for this era. You might not be aware of this, but most ballet shows around the world at this point are connected to some other form of entertainment, a lot of the time a larger play, even a big dramatic story, so this idea of a ballet that is the centrepiece, the only piece, the main attraction - that’s bold and original, a real departure!
This particular ballet performance is, dare I say it, actually somewhat of a scandal. It was meant to have premiered the night before, but, you see, the opera company and the royal court clashed over what would appear on stage! It sounds almost ridiculous, doesn't it? You've heard of creative differences – well, it seems a little argument arose when some musicians insisted on playing instruments that were seen as too low class for a royal opera house! Can you imagine? Instruments, such as…drumroll the guitar! Apparently, guitars weren't deemed good enough for the big folk, but this brave opera company stuck with its chosen sound and fought for its creativity to be heard.
After this little drama, the performance was delayed, but the company had no intention of being quietened and instead pressed on, ready for its moment! So, this Ballet des Bouffons was a risk, an exciting foray into new territory, not only in style of entertainment but also in its determination to be heard and appreciated!
I just know that watching Le Ballet des Bouffons, watching these amazing dancers dance through these new exciting steps, and seeing a performance be so much more than just a simple part of another performance… It’s going to be magical! It's not every day you witness a ballet premiere, let alone the birth of a whole new trend, especially one that's been delayed for days but is so strong, so determined to be seen! This is exactly the sort of exciting historical moment that fills me with inspiration and makes me want to share it all with you!
This is just a glimpse of what's to come in my adventures, darling. It's not every day you find yourself at a historic ballet premiere, especially one that will set the stage for something even more wonderful! So join me again next month, and I'll take you even further down the magical rabbit hole of ballet history!
Until then, keep swirling and never forget, the world is waiting for a bit of Pink Tutu sparkle!
With love, Emma x
(And, of course, to get your own Pink Tutu and help support this incredible venture, check out our lovely collection at www.pink-tutu.com – just imagine all the fashion moments waiting to be found within this history!)
This is a fictional blog post, but here is some factual information about 1756 and the King’s Theatre, London:
- The King’s Theatre was indeed being built during this time, and would be complete in the coming year (although construction did encounter some problems due to a very strong storm).
- The opening performance (in October 1756) wasn't actually a ballet. While ballet was a popular form of entertainment in this period, the debut performance would feature an Italian comic opera called La Serva Padrona.
- Ballet des Bouffons was in fact performed several times later on, first being premiered in April 1753 at The Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, London.
In reality, the world of ballet wasn't fully dedicated to solely ballet performances until the late 19th century, but that doesn’t stop us from imagining this incredible ballet debut in London, does it? The excitement and passion is real, after all. It’s these kind of events that we love celebrating in Pink-Tutu Land!
Please do share any exciting historical finds in ballet! We are always ready to take in the beauty and wonder of this graceful dance art and would love to know what amazing finds you discover too! You never know, maybe we'll find you a new time-traveling Pink Tutu too!
