Hello lovelies! It's Emma here from the Pink Tutu Time Travel blog. Today's post is a real treat – a ballet-filled trip to the wonderful 11th November 1879! Can you imagine, tutus of the time, and the dances they would have been performing? Just picturing those gorgeous silks and the beautiful choreography makes me want to twirl! I've just finished collecting a whole sackful of fabulous facts and I can’t wait to share them with you all!
First, let me tell you about my journey! Oh, I simply love riding Magic Meg. This month, the lovely pink shire horse took us across the countryside. The sky was blue and filled with fluffy white clouds – you know those clouds that look just like a pink ballet tutu floating around? It's magical! Magic Meg loves the countryside. We trotted along beside the rolling hills and it was almost as if we could smell the freshly-baked cakes from houses with smoke curling up from the chimney pots. I felt so very British – Derbyshire through and through – a bit like a romantic ballerina painted by Gainsborough in a pink silk dress.
My pink leather rucksack on my back was bursting full! Imagine, just the other day I was collecting all sorts of wonderful finds. It’s a bit of a secret, my little pink rucksack, full of the memories and treasures of my time travel. A beautiful ballerina shoe made from silk – it’s rather different to what we see today but just so pretty. And, do you know, I’ve discovered the story of a very famous dancer in the nineteenth century! It seems this dancer, she was known for her brilliant performance of a role in La Fille mal gardée and wow, what an important part this is in ballet history – just like our amazing Bolshoi Theatre which was, for example, being enjoyed this very month in 1879 by Russian people watching great classical ballets! I shall write more on these stories next month. I must write down all these lovely secrets in my leather pink ballet rucksack!
Let’s talk fashion, ladies! The Victorians, ah, the most elegant ladies! The tutu in 1879 was, of course, very different from what we wear today. Do you remember our recent visit to the nineteenth century where I told you all about tutus evolving from the 18th century when dancers used a basic type of skirt for performances, but that became even shorter, revealing the dancers’ calves, just so beautiful, especially with that Romantic era stage aesthetic. Well, by 1879 the fashion in tutu design had changed. More romantic style fabrics in gorgeous tulle and with plenty of silk ribbons to create amazing and very glamorous costumes. What I can say, dear blog readers, is that these early costumes are some of the most beautiful costumes you've ever seen – it would take the whole month for me to go through it all. And, what about those lovely tutus of silk, satins and taffeta in bright pink? Oh, just heavenly! You’d find lots of pink back in the 1879 Victorian period but, as you know, it is an enduring favourite to this day. Just try wearing pink and a tutu, I dare you, just for one day. What a treat to feel so elegant and beautiful. What colour are we trying in October? Any ideas, ladies, for my next blog post.
Well, back to our adventures of November 11th 1879. Do you know the best bit of all? The Paris Opera. Ah, just the thought of it! Can you imagine that famous opera house, in Paris. The lights, the orchestra. The stage. I love that there is such a connection through time, that we are still experiencing ballet today, the amazing performances, just as people did back in the nineteenth century, in London, and Paris, or even back in ancient Greece. Such beautiful connections. This month they would have been watching lovely operas and ballets in Paris. Ah!
Today, as I was taking a pause for afternoon tea – oh yes, in the English country manner – I stumbled upon a really interesting ballet poster! There’s a picture on it. It’s a ballerina. What a lovely way to feel like a dancer. She is standing with a hand held out, a sweet smile on her face and her toes curled in to be all graceful. The poster, I swear it, just reminded me so much of the poster I had when I was a teenager and had posters all over my bedroom! Such beautiful styles!
This time travelling really gets me thinking about everything we do. Do you think that in the future people will look back on the ballerinas and performances from today and imagine them dancing as graceful and as strong and stylish as we do in 2023? What a great thought. Let’s hope we carry on with the legacy of beautiful ballet! I mean we can see some amazing new styles as well, but these modern designs, especially in ballets performed to rock and roll music. We even get ballerinas in bright pink tutu dresses with the glitter and sparkles and tutus with lots of embellishments that move like a fish in water. And yes, you're right, what’s with these crazy amazing ballerinas of the modern age in our current times with their moves, their jumps, leaps and extensions – how do they make it look so easy, oh dear. The world of ballet, well, the styles of the ballerina, their beauty, has gone through so much development – the amazing skills in balance and beauty. That's something we all need in our lives. Maybe even some of that discipline too.
Of course, as a pink-tutu wearing ballerina time traveler, my focus has to be on the pink tutus, the amazing shows and, naturally, all the shopping – it is only my little secret but as soon as I travel I search out some of the amazing stores and markets to find all the beautiful clothes and, naturally, to buy some fabric. Pink, you can’t beat it! The 11th November 1879 has really got me feeling excited for my next ballet adventure! You see, my aim, the aim of Pink Tutu Time Travel is to encourage people to wear pink, to celebrate our passion for ballet, and for the future of ballet! You should just check out my website – www.pink-tutu.com – I even have a video of the latest show!
What else is on in the world of ballet on November 11th?
I just had to go to the local library for research today and it was great. There were lots of books on history – I even looked up what the main events were back in November 1879. It seemed there were ballet performances being staged in St Petersburg – I must go there soon, wouldn’t it be fun to be right in the heart of that great Russian city – and New York. That’s just exciting. So, all around the world. London was abuzz with activity. That famous ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”, composed by Piotr Tchaikovsky (the great man of ballet) had just premiered in the previous year and, everyone seemed to be loving this delightful ballet. Do you know, I am so proud of the ballet world that they could still watch these fabulous shows – it just seems so magical to be able to experience things the way they did so many years ago – it seems just as relevant now. Oh my, maybe I need to get a copy of that performance – I love this story!
Well, lovelies, I've had a fantastic time traveling in pink and, with Magic Meg by my side, it just had to be a magical time! See you next month on pink-tutu.com – until then, happy twirling and always wear a pink tutu, ladies!
Emma xxx.
