Hello darlings, and welcome to Pink Tutu Time Travels! I'm Emma, your Derbyshire ballerina with a passion for pink, tutus and of course, ballet history! This month, Magic Meg (my glorious pink sparkling shire horse with golden hooves and a magnificent white mane and tail) and I are galloping back to the 3rd of March, 1769.
Get ready to twirl back to a time when the world of ballet was exploding with innovation! The late 1700s was a time of revolutionary change, not just in politics, but also in the elegant art of dance.
Now, tuck into your pink cupcakes and let's delve into the history, fashion and exciting ballet performances that were happening on this very day in the world of ballet!
Paris, Paris, I Love Paris! 🇫🇷
Paris, always a fashion-forward capital of the world, was brimming with the whirlwind of ballet. You know my weakness - fashion, especially ballet fashion. It was here that the iconic French Ballet Academy was established in 1661. This institution became a powerhouse for nurturing the stars of the time! I always feel such an incredible buzz just thinking about these influential places!
Now imagine yourself on the 3rd of March in 1769, walking along the elegant boulevards of Paris! Perhaps you’d hear music from a performance of "The Prodigal Son" a grand and dramatic ballet choreographed by Jean-Georges Noverre, which premiered a couple of years earlier, in 1767. This revolutionary piece, full of movement and meaning, changed how audiences understood and appreciated ballet! It introduced a new storytelling dimension and depth. It's like watching an emotional masterpiece unfold. Noverre, considered the ‘Father of Modern Ballet’ (how fantastic, is that a title I'd love!), was all about expression and drama, breaking away from the older, more formal style of ballet. Can't you picture those graceful movements in your mind?
I’d be making a beeline to the Palais-Royal for the Opéras Comiques, where there might be another stunning performance to delight me. Imagine, laughter, song, and maybe even some enchanting ballets. Imagine those glorious dresses, sparkling jewels, and elegant powdered wigs. I would love to see how everyone danced, moved, and chatted in the audience.
And the men! In all those fine breeches, wigs, and powdered coats, while the ladies in beautiful satins and silks...just a little bit of jealousy bubbles over here in my pink heart that we don't have the chance to enjoy such exquisite dress every day! Oh well, I guess we're lucky to have our modern tutus.
England - Where I Call Home 🇬🇧
England is home sweet home for me, and the year 1769 was a busy one. Back in London, they would be at The Haymarket – you know how I adore the history of ballet, and The Haymarket, just as its name suggests, was a real gem back in the day! This theatrical hub in London was the home of several ballet companies, offering shows night after night. Imagine a ballet show performed every night – what an amazing life they must have lived.
This time in 1769, a whole slew of foreign dancers would have been arriving at London's doors, their bags overflowing with ideas for dance moves, and stories of their balletic adventures.
Travelling in Time
Back then, getting from A to B was a little slower, so I guess these beautiful ballerinas would have been travelling to different performances across the continent, by ship or carriage. Imagine those gorgeous dancing shoes crunching through the dust of the road, maybe stopping to practise a sequence while the carriages were being loaded with luggage and baggage. Can you imagine? It just adds to the sense of drama and romanticism that surrounded ballet back in these times!
Oh, and wouldn't you know it! On March 3rd, 1769, the famous playwright and ballet lover, David Garrick, would have been busy on the stage. You know my heart is filled with awe every time I see those names in the ballet history books. These legends were such big characters, they brought theatre and dance to life with such passion.
My Backpack of Ballet
In my leather rucksack (a real ballerina's necessity) I will always be collecting little pieces of ballet stories from each of my trips. Just imagine! I can see my rucksack bulging with bits of fabric from glorious tutus, old sketches from ballet movements, and even maybe some worn out pointe shoes - a treasure chest for ballet history buffs like me! It's my goal to make this time-travelling a bit like ‘museum’ journey, filled with beautiful and enchanting discoveries.
Getting Back To Now!
Now that I’ve whisked you away to ballet heaven back in 1769, I hope I have inspired you to be just a little bit more enchanted by this graceful art. So go on, find yourself a comfy seat at the ballet or a fabulous ballet class. Wear your beautiful pink tutus with pride! You could be a budding ballet dancer in the making or just a regular ballerina lover. As for me, I will continue my magical adventures, twirling through the pages of history in my Pink Tutu!
Until next month, remember, our amazing journeys are funded by my ballet performances! You can always visit me and Magic Meg at our blog on www.pink-tutu.com to see my amazing new ballet shoes, gorgeous new costumes, and keep up-to-date with the incredible time-traveling ballerina stories and adventures we’re enjoying together! Let me know which exciting place you would like to time travel to next, my gorgeous darlings, because as long as my ballet dancing and you, my amazing blog readers are with me, nothing can stop this time-travelling pink tutu ballerina! xx
