Hello my dearest tutu-lovers! Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood ballet enthusiast and time-travelling aficionado! 👋 Welcome back to my little corner of the internet, Pink Tutu Travels. This is post number 2415 - can you believe it? A whole heap of ballerina adventures tucked away in this blog, chronicled through the lens of my trusty pink tutu and the whims of Magic Meg, my darling pink-sparkling Shire horse with hooves of gold and a flowing white mane and tail. 🐎✨
It’s the 3rd of March, 1862, today. My boots are dusted off, Magic Meg is prepped, and my trusty leather rucksack is prepped to catch a few ballet tidbits for the Pink Tutu archive. Where to first, hmm? My favourite question! It’s always so exciting!
London Calling! 🎶🇬🇧Today we’re setting our sights on London. The centre of the ballet universe! The air’s thick with the buzz of London society, with all the carriages rushing about, but oh! London's ballet scene was so much different then! I do enjoy those Victorian clothes so very much, although it must be terribly stuffy being confined in them! It makes me so glad we have tunus for our comfy ballerina dancing attire.
Imagine my excitement when I heard whispers of the Royal Italian Opera in Covent Garden, a vibrant centre of theatrical entertainment back then. The grand old theatre itself, a piece of history in its own right, would be brimming with music and dance. It’s hard to imagine the majesty of these theatres - what is on tonight I wonder?
Dancing On The World Stage ✨🌎From Covent Garden, we hop across the channel, straight to the heart of Paris, where ballet was also having a huge moment! At the Palais Garnier, now famed for its glittering beauty and artistic grandeur, there’s always something spectacular going on! They had ballets such as "Giselle", "La Sylphide," "La Bayadère." Can you imagine seeing these works first-hand, a ballet premiere? I do hope my time machine won't misbehave on me and take me to the very day that happened! Paris! Such an inspirational city - you can see the spark in the eyes of the ballet dancers just from walking down the street!
And from Paris, we leap across the world, maybe take a peek into Saint Petersburg in Russia. They were experiencing the reign of the Ballet Master, Marius Petipa - his influence! Oh my goodness. I have several copies of the ballerinas at home dressed in their ballet costumes that I've picked up over the years when my time machine was touring.
Pink Tutu Inspiration - 1862I just had the most marvellous thought! Perhaps I should take inspiration from the tutu trends of the 1860s! The ballet fashions! They were so elegant! Layers of tulle, frills galore, and maybe a bit of lace. That might give a new, very pink edge to my tutu-making adventures. A Pink Tutu-Paris fusion?! Oh my!
And then there's the shoes. In 1862, ballerinas wore satin slippers. So comfy for leaping and twirling! Perhaps we could even have a Pink Tutu 'time-travel ballet'! 👠🩰
Tutu Tip For My Blog FollowersRemember my lovely readers - whether you're on the ballet stage or simply a ballet aficionado like me - don’t let anyone tell you a tutu isn't for you! It's an expression of your inner ballerina. A symphony of colour and joy - an empowering piece of fabric that says "I embrace my love for ballet, in all its magnificent grace!" My blog, and my travels, are a testament to this. If I can travel through time in my Pink Tutu, so can you!
Until next time, darling readers, dance on!
Yours in Pink,
Emma 💖✨
(P.S. If you’re ever in Derbyshire, you know where to find me. My dance studio's door is always open to ballet enthusiasts like yourself! )
