Hello darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu Travels, where we take a twirl through time, one fabulous ballet adventure at a time! I'm your host, Emma, and this month, Magic Meg and I are soaring through the clouds of time, landing right in the heart of 1844!
You know me, my loves, a new year always has me itching to break out a brand-new pink tutu, and this time, we're headed back to the era of the Romantic Ballet. We're talking delicate lines, fluttering sleeves, and sigh those glorious, flowing tutus that would make a girl faint with excitement!
So buckle up, grab your pinkest accessory, and let's embark on this sartorial journey, shall we?
We landed just outside a bustling Parisian theatre. Can you imagine, darlings, theatre was the hottest thing in 1844. No screens, no endless scrolls, just the pure magic of a live performance! It was quite a change from my usual bustling Derbyshire streets! Imagine, I’m dancing in a glamorous performance with my dazzling, talented pink tutu! My entire outfit coordinated perfectly! From my perfectly coiffed, ballet bun hair with matching pink ribbons to my sparkly ballet shoes! Of course, it was a secret time travel performance that only the most elite of 19th Century theatre enthusiasts would be able to see. All dressed in our finest, glamorous pink! A dazzling symphony of tutus!
On the poster, we saw it was a revival of a very special ballet - La Sylphide, a true masterpiece of romanticism. Think light as air ballerinas, mystical creatures, and stories of lost love – my heart went pitter-patter, I was so in! It felt magical to know that this same story has enthralled audiences for centuries.
Of course, no ballet adventure is complete without a visit to the atelier, the Parisian workshops were like a giant box of bonbons – fabrics, embellishments, shoes! And darling, let me tell you, their tutu creations were something else. So much lace and ruffles, perfect for swirling around the stage! I snatched a piece of fabric from one of the workshops – they’re now proudly displayed in my backpack, you should see it – such a treasure!
Did you know that the dancers of this era wore incredibly fitted bodices, tight, corsets to define the perfect silhouette, all to show off the airy lightness of the tutu!
They say this era, saw the birth of what we know as classical ballet. That it all began to move towards those breathtakingly graceful leaps and bounds, all while wearing these airy, soft tutus - isn't that a glorious thing!
It's all about expression, elegance, and telling a story through your movements, with the tutu being an ethereal frame around the beautiful story. A very fitting metaphor for life itself!
I was so enchanted by all of it, that I actually snuck into a rehearsal! Shhh don’t tell the time travel police! It was amazing! I felt so transported. You should have seen my own performance for La Sylphide, right there on that beautiful, historical stage! But my dear, it was top secret, sht shhh don’t tell, no time traveler is supposed to do this - it can mess with history!
It was a whole world away from my life back in the twenty-first century - and, dare I say, perhaps more wonderful?
But alas! It was time to return to the present.
You’ll find my full report and sketches from this fabulous journey on www.pink-tutu.com – I always keep track of my adventures!
Until next month, keep those tutus twirling!
Lots of love,
Emma xxx
I’ve added some special links just for you lovely people:
www.pink-tutu.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_ballet - For some extra history on this exciting period
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/arts/dance/ballet-paris-opera-sylphide.html - And more about the *La Sylphide - It really is a beautiful ballet.
