Oh, darlings! Happy New Year from your favourite pink-tutu-wearing time-travelling ballerina! Can you believe we've already reached Post #1993? My, how time flies when you're prancing through the centuries! 🩰
This month, we're going right back to 1827, just a few days after the new year began. It was an exciting time, full of bold innovations in ballet, a vibrant theatre scene, and of course, a plethora of pretty outfits! Oh, and a little extra frosting on this historical cake? It was a year when a brand new dance sensation swept through the world - The Polonaise! It was all the rage, my dears, and I was most definitely swept up in its elegant, sweeping steps! ✨
This time, my journey took me through the charming English countryside to the majestic city of London, where I rode with Magic Meg - my trusty pink shire horse with shimmering gold hooves, who even looks spectacular in pink! Can you imagine a horse wearing a pink saddle cloth, dears? Just glorious! She is a real pink princess!💖 I took a twirl on the cobbled streets, imagining the grandeur of the theaters that lined these paths and dreamed of all the dazzling ballerinas who had graced these stages.
On January 1st, 1827, London’s Covent Garden was alive with the theatre-going crowd eager to witness Charles Dibdin's comic opera "The Broken Sword". While the opera itself might not sound familiar, the venue is famous! It is home to one of the oldest ballet companies in the world - the Royal Ballet! Isn't it lovely to think that we are all connected by history? 💖
Did you know, dears, that the Royal Opera House, which hosted Covent Garden, was quite a different place in 1827! Its facade was designed to be a stunning Neoclassical vision! Think exquisite columns, statues, and lots of frills and flounces - perfect inspiration for my tutu design! I'm always looking for the perfect pink shade to suit these grand historical places, and I think my latest one might be just the ticket! My rucksack is bursting with samples of historic pink silks and velvets to add to my pink tutu collection! 🎀
I imagined how I might have stepped out into the evening to meet the other lovely ladies in my own stylish ensemble. Picture this: a full skirt with layers upon layers of tulle in the softest shade of blush, perfectly highlighting the flowing movements of the Polonaise, perhaps some delicate beading around the waist, a dash of black ribbon, and of course, a perfect pair of pink ballet slippers - nothing less! My head would have been crowned with a simple crown of pink satin ribbons - for a hint of Parisian elegance. My dearest friend, dear Princess, a ballerina from my time who was able to visit the 1820s with me, insisted that every lady was sporting an intricate little pearl-studded pin - with some even opting for diamonds, dears! Diamonds, in a ballet performance - I simply adored that idea! Oh, how glamorous! ✨
But my journey wasn't just about fashion and fantasy, dears! In my search for ballet treasures, I stumbled upon a charming, tiny ballet school hidden within a cobbled alley in Covent Garden! The pupils there were delightful, even though their technique was quite different from the precise elegance of ballet as I knew it.
Imagine, they were working on leaps and bounds like birds soaring into the sky! No petit allegro or grande allegro like the steps I loved in my time. I learned the importance of flexibility and fluidity, and you know me, dear dears, I love the unexpected! I found out how those 1800s ladies held their core – not with the powerful strength that modern dancers favour but with a delicate tension, a softness like a blossoming rose. Isn't that so interesting?! 💖
As for my ballet backpack, it is overflowing with these lovely bits and bobs from the time - like an exquisite little pair of pink dance shoes, a handwritten playbill of "The Broken Sword," and even a lock of hair, believe it or not, from a ballerina who danced in that show! The aroma of old paper and vintage perfume linger inside - reminding me of that journey every time I look at these finds. These relics are treasures from the past - perfect additions to my collection for future pink-tutu designs! 🎀
So much inspiration from my ballet escapade in 1827, dears!
To add to the magic of 1827, I encourage all of you, yes YOU, to channel your inner 1827 ballerina! Why not twirl in a rosy hue of tulle, a splash of colour in your hair ribbons, or maybe a simple pearl pin? Maybe wear your tutus around your neck instead of your legs?! This will certainly make for a dazzling ballet spectacle that even the ladies from 1827 would admire. And as always, don't be afraid to take a step outside of the box and find the inspiration that lies within each moment!
Now go out there and sparkle, dears! You'll find a bit of magic everywhere you go. As for me, I'll be back next month with another extraordinary journey through time.
Yours in the pinkest tutus, Emma ✨
(P.S. Don’t forget to follow my travels and share your own Pink Tutu adventures at www.pink-tutu.com! I love to see what you are all wearing! I adore hearing from you! And yes, my ballet classes are always open to everyone! Join me in dancing the decades away! ✨ )
