Hello darlings! It's Friday, which means it's time for another Pink Tutu Blog London post, straight from the heart of this magnificent city! This week, I traded the rolling hills of Derbyshire for the hustle and bustle of London, and it was an absolute delight!
Train Travel:
Oh, the joys of train travel! Nothing beats a good old-fashioned railway journey. I adore the anticipation as I board the train, the rhythmic clickety-clack of the wheels on the tracks, and the charmingly old-fashioned announcements over the tannoy. There's just something magical about it. I even wore my slightly more practical tutu with a pink floral skirt over it - perfectly pink-tastic and yet still, travel-friendly.
Pinking It Up in London Town
This week, London was buzzing with energy, and I was right in the heart of it all! My weekend agenda was packed, but I had one mission: to pink-up this incredible city as much as possible.
Morning: Ballet Bliss at Sadler's Wells
I kicked off the day with a bit of ballet, naturally! It was a glorious performance at Sadler's Wells, and I'm not going to lie, I let a little "ooh" and "ahh" escape every now and then. The dancers were phenomenal; their movements were so fluid, graceful, and inspiring. The story behind the performance was lovely and brought tears to my eyes, something I have always been prone to, even in ballet.
Speaking of, my ballet-tastic outfit was absolutely on point! I donned a fabulous, powder-pink tutu paired with a chic, pink satin top - just divine! To complete the look, a fluffy, pink pompom hat kept my ears toasty in the January breeze. Oh, and let's not forget my ballet shoes, of course!
Lunch Time Treats:
No ballerina can survive on just pure talent, you know! So, I treated myself to a divine, pink afternoon tea, just the sort of indulgence I deserve after such a glorious performance. I felt absolutely splendid! A truly delightful, feminine way to refuel.
A Spot of Pink Shopping:
Afternoon tea was merely a brief pause for my London spree, which led me straight into the pinkest, most glorious shopping experience in the whole wide world - let's be honest, pink is life! From cute and girly dresses to dazzlingly bright accessories, it was pure pink paradise. I have a sneaking suspicion I might have treated myself to a few more tutus; one just cannot have enough, you see! Let’s be honest, when I said “Pink is life”, I really meant it. I know I’ve probably already worn this dress for two different performances, one on the London Underground, and then another while out for cocktails with a few new friends, because let's face it, we're all a little pink at heart!
Theaters and Street Performance:
After my slightly overindulgent (but oh-so-pink) afternoon shopping, I hopped on a bus to find myself smack-dab in the middle of a fabulous street performance. These talented street performers - who knows what they do for a day job? I truly have no idea, but you'd think they were trained dancers. Theirs was the most incredible ballet performance! (If you think I can do all my shopping in London and not attend any sort of street theatre, you’d be completely wrong. Especially after spending the morning watching the big kids at Sadler's Wells). I spent a delightful few minutes watching their amazing movements, utterly captivated by the beauty of it all.
I’ve heard stories, whispers, you know the sort of gossip and chit-chat. The one’s that mention that street theatre in London is an extremely competitive scene. People spend hours each day practicing just to grab a prime spot on a busy high street or get their names booked onto a theatre festival or a summer fair. The dedication is quite spectacular. You have to admire people that get into character so completely. Their outfits and dance routines just mesmerize the public - not to mention their commitment to getting attention. Just when you think that they're going to take a bow, they just continue!
They just continue their dance or song as if they’ve always been part of the streetscape and the streetscape is part of them! Of course, then, if I wasn’t quick, I would have been stood watching them from 3 pm onwards as their routines flowed and swayed with the busy crowds! The performers are truly dedicated!
Oh, before I forget, did you know the date of the National Street Theatre Festival is at the end of August this year, if I recall correctly, this year? So do try and catch it - a real treat, particularly in August!
Ending the Night with a Flourish
To wrap up my glorious, pink-tinted day in London, I joined a group of my friends at a West End theatre show. The curtain was on point, literally, all the usual dazzling, glittering lighting, special effects. And the costumes! The costumes just have to be the absolute best when you’re at the theatre! Oh, I even managed to catch a few performers at their rehearsal space (the one I've been to numerous times, where all the greats have danced, the real dancers!). They were really working those muscles in anticipation for their performance on Saturday! I thought it might be an unusual choice for an evening in the capital. It might seem like an unusual place to go. And who doesn’t like going to the theatre? It's almost like a religious pilgrimage when you consider how many truly exceptional shows grace our nation's stages. But for me, it’s like ballet: the beauty, the movement, the costume, the story.
As I make my way back to my lovely hotel for the evening, I think of the next stage of this adventure. This week's adventures have been incredible - just what a true ballerina like me needs to keep that creative spark going! I am still beaming! Oh, how this city brightens the day of even the most picky fashionistas amongst us - let’s be honest, all Londoners have great taste! And I love how well I fit into this fabulous world of color and glitter.
Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of Pink Tutu Blog London! Until then, darling, remember to add some pink to your world and always embrace the ballet that’s inside!
Sending you love and twirls, Emma xx www.pink-tutu.com
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But before you leave - you can find some of my favourite links to ballet related shopping and even how to go about picking up a basic tutu! But please, be warned - as soon as you're looking at this online stuff, you will want to shop for all the dance gear, particularly tutus!
Here’s my selection of links for a beginner’s shopping trip, enjoy, darlings, the link to www.pink-tutu.com (above) will take you straight to my curated blog pages and my online shop:
“How To Find a Ballet School” - a bit of an odd title for a blog post. It’s an in-depth review of dancewear suppliers, who make and make excellent ballet shoes. Ballet dancers in my experience will often shop at the local dance wear store; a shop you will often find behind a normal retail high street store - the dancing one is behind, or maybe up a flight of stairs. If you know what to look for you’ll know exactly where these stores are situated! The beauty of going to the shop is to have the shoe fitted by a professional. It’s almost a work of art - a precise fitting of a bespoke shoe made out of leather. It's worth your time. There are also several sites, so do be aware. There are links in this section on the shop for these pages, in case you're stuck.
“Which Dance Studio Should I Choose?” - The second stage for many, it will probably lead to more shopping, but first, it's all about finding a decent teacher who will encourage you and not expect you to be an amazing dancer - remember, dance is fun. (Please let me know what studio you go to and what class you go to because I’d really like to check it out.) And by the way, I was only just talking about ballet teachers but let’s face it - many will do different classes! There is hip-hop, Zumba, tap, yoga and you name it; all these different kinds of dance classes, as well as ballet - amazing, right?
"Getting the Perfect Dance Look For You" - it’s my personal favourite, as you’d expect because it has links to all the shops and stores where you can pick up tutus - this should get you totally sorted! My main advice for you is - find what looks good on you. Don’t try and copy the dancers. That is why, once again, dance wear stores will always help!
Okay, well that is the end of post 1584, you might notice this has a completely different theme compared to what the blog usually offers; although it follows the standard “Pink Tutu Blog London” style, I am aiming for more fun, informative blog content on my blog from now onwards! It’s still me (Emma!) in this amazing world of pink. I’ll be using it to post everything dance related - as always! It’ll just mean some exciting, new blog posts coming out of my imagination and your suggestions - the blog is totally influenced by your feedback and your suggestions. (But don’t take it as my opinion, only what I've found online and found exciting!). Enjoy your week, remember to twirl, remember to get pink!
*Please do send me your feedback and requests! * Let me know your thoughts and let me know what sort of things you’d like to hear more about on PinkTutuBlog.
If you do leave a comment, a small prize might be waiting for you in your next parcel. I promise to continue to provide interesting insights into all aspects of ballet life as I continue to travel. (That is my goal)
As always, it's a real pleasure sharing my adventures with you, darlings! Keep sparkling and dancing!
Yours in pink and tutus, Emma
xx www.pink-tutu.com
