A Springtime Ballet Adventure to 1878!
Hello my gorgeous fellow tutu-lovers!
April the 4th, 1878! Can you believe it? Today, Magic Meg and I are taking a trip back to the Victorian era! Oh, I can practically hear the rustling of crinolines and the clinking of teacups as we enter this delightful time period! And what's a better way to celebrate than by stepping into a world of dance? It’s a fabulous date to choose as we will see what was happening in the world of ballet on this very day.
We've packed my favourite pink tutu - the one with the sparkling sequins, of course! It shimmers like a dream! As always, my leather rucksack is packed full of my most treasured ballet notes.
As we are getting ready to mount Magic Meg for our jaunt into history, I can't help but dream of what we will discover today!
Back to 1878!
The air is crisp and full of the scent of horse manure and lilacs as Magic Meg takes us through the streets of London. I spy women with parasols and gentlemen with top hats and think: "If only I had a little pink parasol to match my pink tutu!". The world seems to be brimming with elegant dress and vibrant colours. And those horse-drawn carriages! I love that we travelled by horse here today!
Our Journey to The Ballet!
Our journey takes us to the grand Covent Garden Opera House! Just look at those grand arches! We reach the doors and I already can't help but get excited for the evening. The world of ballet in 1878 seems so different from today! Can you imagine not having the freedom to perform ballet everywhere, like on a street, and in the ballet class we are now visiting?! They certainly haven't caught onto pink tutus here, but maybe after they see my outfit! But there is definitely a beautiful magic to the performances happening.
I have discovered that in 1878, Italian ballerina, Virginia Zucchi is the star of the ballet scene! In a matter of just a few weeks she has already taken London by storm. The Covent Garden Opera House has seen several very impressive performances during March 1878 and Virginia was a smash! I must go and see one of her performances. The Ballet Review tells me that the ballet on March 23rd saw the most fantastic performances!
Virginia was starring in an opera-ballet performance in four acts of the opera, The King's Vow (a version of an earlier French operetta, La Veuve Joyeuse, and now given in Italian)! Oh! To see this spectacular! The costumes, the dancing... A dream!
It seems like such a glamorous world! But it is only glamorous on the outside!
There were other events planned at The Opera House including The Daughter of the Regiment. As I make my notes in my journal I also discover an unusual piece on April 4th. They have planned the famous Wagner’s Tannhäuser (this time featuring the renowned singers who appeared at The Covent Garden's last opera performance!).
It is exciting for me to learn about the events from just the past few weeks, and, of course, I love a bit of Tannhäuser opera with ballet included. However, behind this scene of glittering opera and ballets, the life of a ballerina isn’t glamorous at all!
You see, the training required for these women in ballet has a dark side - even in the Victorian era, and so even here in 1878, they faced real hardships! Strict diet, endless practice and often an unsuitable teacher meant that injuries were a common consequence. They are like ballerinas of today – working hard in their classes, but facing similar struggles. Sometimes their teacher was simply more interested in how good they looked. Sometimes a ballerina would lose their confidence due to constant, harsh criticism, or lack of support, which made her performance so much harder!
Ballet Style 1878 – What I See On The Street.
This era saw such long and flowing tulle skirts for everyday wear. The women all have lovely bunches of hair with elegant little hats perched on their heads and dainty floral adornments! However, imagine how they would love to wear the elegant tutus worn by their balletic sisters at Covent Garden, and the lovely, flowing soft dresses worn by other dancers, as these were still in fashion. Some would say these fashion statements came in much later and would never happen until well into the next century – however if you see some of the early photography, ballet tutus are far from unusual. They are quite the fashion statement!
This Month’s Inspiration!
I am going to spend the rest of the day making a ballet costume – a ballerina with big white tulle frills and pink ribbon. I hope to give this creation away to my most devoted readers at www.pink-tutu.com so make sure to enter the competition before the month ends! I may be inspired by a costume of Virginia Zucchi who appeared to wear a beautiful pastel silk costume adorned with sparkling jewels on her performance on March 23rd in The King's Vow. The costumes of 1878 are very dramatic, I wonder what ballet is doing in that world. I have a lot to learn and some great fashion and style for our dance party in the garden next week!
Until next time.
Emma.
Stay Tuned for the next exciting Ballet History Adventure, posted in one month!
Don't forget to visit my site www.pink-tutu.com for exclusive behind the scenes photos and special posts from each of my journeys through ballet history. Keep dancing!
