Oh darling, gather round! The news is hotter than a pirouette on a hot stage! Today, the 4th of November, 1999, is a day for celebrating all things twirly, frilly, and utterly fabulous â that's right, it's Tutu Day! Itâs an auspicious day to celebrate that most beautiful of garments: the tutu. The delicate layers of tulle that, to a woman, represent everything from ethereal elegance to a cheeky hint of rebellion, and that, letâs be honest, most of us would secretly love to wear in our everyday life. Yes, you can imagine me now in a full-length, pouffy, black and white tutu. My local cafe will never know what hit it.
Just so you know, I donât actually go out in public wearing tutus. Not that I wouldnât, because honestly darling, you canât tell me I wouldnât absolutely nail it in the Sainsburyâs car park. You have no idea. No, darling. That would be too much of a shock. But when I go out and watch a dance show and those ballerinas float onto the stage, every single fibre of my being goes *swoon!*.
This Tutu Day we are celebrating, nay, *adoring* the many faces of this ballet wonder. I canât tell you just how much the tutu fascinates me! A piece of fabric that can look elegant or dramatic, sophisticated or just plain whimsical, it is the ultimate representation of artistry. I am truly, madly, deeply obsessed, and so should you be.
**Tutu: Fact or Fiction?** You may be asking, just how much *must* a dancer adore this garment? Well, I will tell you, itâs a bit of a love-hate relationship. Yes, a love-hate relationship with a dancewear garment! And if you arenât a ballet dancer youâre probably sitting there thinking, âWhat on Earth does she mean by âlove-hate?â I bet itâs nothing like my own love-hate relationship with those elasticated leggings from my teen years that went *poof* just as Iâd achieved a flawless âtuck.ââ
Well, dear reader, this is where the ballerina and her tutu can take us on a journey far beyond your teenage memories. From the most romantic of tutus in swan lake, to the impossibly fluffy, voluminous skirts of The Nutcracker â oh how they do fly around, like the most majestic feathers! There is so much drama! It is like a whirlwind of delicate layers of loveliness that catches and reflects the lights like spun silver and that swish so majestically as the ballerinas make their way across the stage.
So what is it like being that dancer and whipping those twirling, magnificent tutus around for hours and hours on end?
What are some of the challenges of the tutu? * Well, as you may have guessed itâs definitely not a comfortable garment to wear for hours. Just as itâs not really conducive to your average walk down the street. Just imagine: "Excuse me dear, can you hold this tutu so I can pop in for some milk and bread please?". And no one would want that. You donât get out of a tutu and wander down to the cafe in a little dressing gown like you do in that wonderful movie, Billy Elliot!* Ballet dancers would often tell you that their tutuâs feel like a large bird nest. Yes, sometimes they just get in the way, sometimes they donât even look how you imagined they would on stage â which means you end up stuck in your rehearsal outfit! And yes darling, sometimes you get caught up in the tutu when you do a grande jetĂ©. But thatâs ballet, eh! Itâs a tough job, but someone has to do it, so **thank heavens** for those marvellous dancers.
* Ballet dancers are an absolutely magical and talented group, as much a testament to the art form itself, as a piece of the garment, itself. So next time you watch a ballet, try and get up close. See that fluffy feather and look at that fabric. Just imagine all that sweat and the dedication of that dancer and donât you dare feel sorry for her â not in that amazing tutu. That tutu looks like magic. Itâs fabulous. You need a moment to pause, marvel and simply celebrate the tutus.
Well darling, this has been your Tutu Day update! What have we learnt? Well I think I can just hear you now â the very same sentiment you often utter as the curtain draws on a breathtakingly elegant and exquisite show - "Darling. We must get some tea and biscuits, I just love it so much!"