Hello, my darling tutu-loving friends! Emma here, your trusty time-travelling ballerina, back with another month's worth of pink-tastic adventures. This time, we're travelling back toā¦ well, April 2011, believe it or not! Now, I know what youāre thinking: āEmma, itās 2023! Why would you want to go back toā¦ last year?ā But trust me, darling, even recent history has some absolute gems for the ballerina-at-heart!
Before we delve into this monthās time-hopping adventure, a quick announcement: You lovely lot, are doing such a great job spreading the pink tutu message! So many of you have taken the plunge and strutted your stuff in a pink tutu this month ā Iām seeing pink everywhere! Itās making me beam with pride (and a dash of delightful envy for all that wonderful pink fabric). Keep on twirling!
Now, back to April 2011. This month, Magic Meg and I were feeling particularly inspired by the world of contemporary ballet. There was so much happening!
First stop: New York City! We took in a show at the American Ballet Theatre, which was in the midst of their spring season. Oh, my dears, it was a ballet extravaganza! The sheer technical brilliance of those dancers had me captivated. And the costumes? Stunning, of course! So many feathers and lace and ā you guessed it ā pink! They must have been inspired by me, donāt you think?
Next, we high-tailed it over to Paris. Ah, Paris ā the City of Lights and Ballet. And just like New York, the ballet scene in Paris was buzzing with exciting happenings! We even saw a new production of āGiselleā at the OpĆ©ra National de Paris. Now, āGiselleā is one of my absolute favourite ballets, so you can imagine my excitement. It was just divine, with absolutely stunning choreography and a haunting story that drew me in completely.
Then it was time for a visit to London. My favourite city for ballet, no contest. You canāt talk about ballet in April 2011 without mentioning The Royal Ballet. We went to see Aliceās Adventures in Wonderland, a completely fantastical ballet experience based on Lewis Carrollās timeless tale. And I canāt talk about Aliceās Adventures in Wonderland without mentioning my favourite pink tutu detail ā the Queen of Hearts, decked out in all-out pink! The costume designers had a clear vision, darling ā and so much of that vision involved a lot of the most beautiful pink tutus. Itās certainly clear that they must have been reading my pink tutu blog posts in their spare time!
Of course, a trip to London wouldnāt be complete without a visit to the legendary Royal Opera House. A world-famous venue and one of the best places in the world for a show, I am absolutely mesmerised by it every time I visit.
Of course, my rucksack was bulging with fantastic new treasures from my time travel: programme souvenirs from these shows, and a new Royal Ballet poster to decorate my bedroom (although, I am now thinking about taking that down, itās just not pink enough anymore, you see? What to replace it with, though, thatās the big question!). Oh, and I managed to get my hands on an exquisite hand-drawn illustration of a ballerina from 2011! I shall frame that immediately for my collection!
What did the world of ballet have going on back then? You see, apart from the ballets listed above, April 2011 was also a busy month for dancers around the world. The Moscow State Ballet was touring the UK, and the English National Ballet was showcasing their stunning talents. The month also saw a number of fantastic ballet competitions taking place across the globe. So much dance, so much beauty!
Back to my little corner of the world... Well, I just couldn't stay away from my dear old Derbyshire. What's a ballerina to do when she wants to hone her skills and stretch her toes? Yes, dear reader, the local ballet studio called to me, just as it always does. And oh, the feeling of graceful twirls and delicate leaps amidst the warm, friendly atmosphere, it was perfect!
This month has been a blur of ballet brilliance! As you can tell, my trip has sparked so many new ideas for my blog (not to mention my tutu wardrobe ā a little update is definitely in order!). And to all you aspiring young ballerinas out there ā it truly doesn't matter what year it is! Ballet will always be a beautiful and exciting part of our lives.
Iāll leave you with this thought: What are you going to do this month to spread the love of ballet? Remember, everyone can wear a pink tutu. That's my mission, itās just the start. Just a small step, or maybe even a grand jetĆ© into a world of beauty, dance, and love for the art form that is ballet!
Until next time, darling tutus!
Emma x
A Quick Note from Emma: Don't forget to visit my website, www.pink-tutu.com, to see my latest time-travel updates and join our thriving community of fellow ballet enthusiasts! And as always, be sure to send in any requests you have about your favourite ballet periods - you can request your favourites via the blog comments! My magical Meg is always up for an adventure.
