Hello darlings! It's your favourite pink-tutu-clad time traveller, Emma, and I'm positively thrilled to be back with you today. Buckle up, my lovelies, because today's adventure takes us all the way back to the year 1815 – a truly pivotal moment in history, and the start of something beautiful. You guessed it – a fabulous new era for ballet!
Just picture it – July the 7th, 1815! The Napoleonic Wars have just come to an end. The air is thick with the sweet scent of jasmine, and the sun is casting long, elegant shadows across the cobblestone streets of Vienna. Now, close your eyes, darlings. Imagine the exquisite sounds of waltzes drifting out of open windows, ladies with frou-frou dresses and feathered bonnets swirling about. A symphony of excitement fills the air! The city hums with a youthful energy and a frisson of something utterly delightful is about to explode... and you guessed it - it’s ballet! 💖
It's the end of an era, and the beginning of another. Napoleon Bonaparte has been banished to Elba. The old way of life is giving way to new possibilities. The very air feels electrified! Can you feel it? A sense of liberation? The urge to twirl? The world, my dear readers, is dancing!
And guess who’s ready to twirl along? Me! Yes, your girl in the pink tutu, along with my wonderful, sparkling Magic Meg. Meg’s golden hooves clip-clop softly on the cobbled streets as we approach a stunning Viennese theatre, all grand columns and elegant lanterns. A performance of ‘Die Zauberflöte’ – Mozart's ‘The Magic Flute’ – is about to begin, and my heart is already doing a whirl.
You see, dear readers, this is what 1815 means to ballet: a dazzling awakening. Vienna’s stage is set to ignite. New ballet companies are sprouting up across Europe, bursting with brilliant talent. The focus shifts towards romantic themes. Forget the heavy steps of the old world. It's time for stories of love, betrayal, and passion, spun through the elegance of dance!
You know what they say - if it’s 1815 and you’re not dancing, you’re not really living! ✨
But, as we make our way into the heart of the theatre, let me give you a sneak peek at what I’m gathering for my little leather rucksack, full of vintage ballet wonders!
First, we have a stunning, hand-stitched copy of Carlo Blasis’s revolutionary new treatise on dance: "Code of Terpsichore." My word, this book is a masterpiece! It lays out a new vocabulary of dance that combines elegance and technical precision. It's going to become the holy grail of ballet teaching for generations to come, and my dearest reader, you’ve heard it from me first!
Then, of course, I'm searching out the latest in ballet fashion, those enchanting tulle and satin dresses that move so gracefully. Did you know the ballet skirt, which we love today, is being refined and redesigned? Forget stiff fabrics and stiff silhouettes! Now we’re all about graceful layers of flowing tulle that billow beautifully as the dancers perform! It’s the epitome of ballet glamour! I shall be sure to acquire a few examples, don't worry. 😉
Speaking of glamour, who do we have here, entering the theatre in a flourish? Oh, my dearest! It’s the iconic ballerina Marie Taglioni. The 'ballerina' as we know it! Imagine! Just 22 years old and already captivating audiences across the globe with her breath-taking, ethereal movements.
Imagine, darling, a lightness and delicacy, a captivating delicacy! It's as if she floats across the stage like a feathered angel, defying gravity with each pirouette! This is the dawn of 'romantic ballet', and Marie Taglioni is its dazzling queen. This year is going to be truly extraordinary. And I can’t wait to tell you about it. 💖
As we enter the theatre, Meg nuzzles my shoulder, a knowing glimmer in her eye. There is so much excitement swirling in the air, so much newness! This is the moment, darlings. This is the era when the ballet world, as we know it, explodes into life. It is time for us to dance! And so, as the enchanting notes of Mozart's symphony pour over us, I take a deep breath, let my pink tutu ripple in the breeze, and twirl onto the stage, joining the dance!
What do you say, my dearest? Are you ready to travel back with me to 1815, in all its magical glory? Let’s get dancing, darlings! 💖
Until next month! ✨
