Welcome back, fellow ballet enthusiasts, to Pink Tutu Time Travels, your monthly dose of ballet history! This month, I'm feeling extra sparkly – January 1st, 1766! Can you imagine? I bet you're picturing me in my most fabulous pink tutu, prancing around a bustling London street, maybe popping into a grand theatre for a show.
Well, picture it!
Because that's exactly what we're doing!
This post is number 1261 on www.pink-tutu.com, and just to clarify, that's not a made-up website - you can totally visit it! In fact, I urge you to! And it's all thanks to Magic Meg, my trusty time travelling pink shire horse with golden hooves and a white mane and tail! I simply love her.
Anyway, today we are heading back in time to the Georgian Era – I love this era for its elegance and sophistication – you've got to see the costumes! The 1760s were all about graceful movements, and guess what? Ballet was going through a big evolution at this time, too!
Now, my dear readers, you know me! If I'm time-traveling, I have to fund it! So before I whisked myself back to January 1st 1766, I just finished a grand performance at the beautiful Buxton Opera House in Derbyshire, England – where I happen to call home! And I gotta tell you, the crowd went wild. All the ladies were wearing my signature pink tutus! It felt wonderful! You know I adore a bit of theatre! My shows fund all of these exciting time-traveling adventures. After all, if you're gonna wear a pink tutu, you've gotta dance!
Speaking of dancing, on the very same day I'm back to, the Salle de l’Opéra in Paris was hosting an extraordinary ballet extravaganza. Just imagine a grand ballroom bathed in candlelight, with the scent of perfume in the air. It would be beyond amazing to watch the delicate steps of the ballet dancers in those frilly costumes! Sadly, there isn't too much documentation about what exactly took place at the Paris Opéra that day. It just isn't the modern day world! What did they wear, I wonder?! What is everyone dancing to? We might never know! This is why I love ballet history - it feels like there is still so much more to learn and uncover! I just love a good mystery, especially when it's connected to my favorite passion - ballet!
My ballet historian backpack is always bursting with fun things I have collected from past eras! For instance, a pretty 1760's pink fan that I bought on a market stall at a little market in Verona just yesterday. There’s also an antique ballet programme and a little journal written in a beautiful flowing script detailing a ballet performance in Naples. The words are so ornate! It feels magical holding them in my hands and thinking about all the beautiful dancers from centuries ago.
But of course, I never go anywhere without my little ballet notebook where I keep track of all my time travels. As I make my way through time and discover all these fascinating snippets of ballet history, I write them down! What’s even better is I post them online on www.pink-tutu.com – so that all of you can join me on these amazing adventures! If you want to get even closer to these eras, the wonderful people at the Royal Opera House have so much great content - so don't be shy, and go check out the archive.
It really makes me want to dance when I think of all these fabulous ballets that graced the stages around the world on that crisp January 1st! What were you up to on the same day back in 1766?
Until next time, darlings, keep your pink tutus ready, because you never know where you might travel next with Magic Meg! And don’t forget to check back in next month to join me on a new adventure! And if you happen to see me popping about in a pink tutu in Derbyshire, don't hesitate to say hi. I am always up for a good chat and a graceful promenade!
