Oh darlings, I'm simply *thrilled* to be writing to you all today, because you simply *must* know this ā the 8th of January, 2001 was the day that tutu-wearing history was *made*! You'll never guess how. You simply *won't*. But let me rewind a little bit, darlings. Let's imagine the scene, shall we? It's a balmy January day in London - well, letās call it balmy for London. I imagine thereās a crisp chill in the air, the perfect weather for, oh I don't know, watching some ballet! And guess what? I'm *right there* in the front row!
So, the music begins, the lights go down, a wave of excited chit-chat dies down, the audience is still, anticipating. Now, I've seen my fair share of ballets, let's just say. From the grandest Swan Lakes to the most experimental contemporary pieces, I've been there and tutued that, my darlings! But what I saw next, well... you could've knocked me over with a feather boa, thatās what! A ballerina... an angel, an ethereal creature in a most delightful *baby pink* tutu, *darlings*, you just *couldn't* take your eyes off her. She took the stage with grace, with precision, with *power*. Her tutu *swirled* as she danced, a veritable whirlwind of femininity, just as it should!
I was on the edge of my seat... completely transfixed. Until, it happened! Now I have to admit, dear reader, at this point, it must have seemed like a mere *fluke*... but trust me, this wasnāt *fluke*, darlings. This was the beginning of a tutu-wearing trend that would *rock* the dance world and everything *around* it!
Just as this enchanting ballerina was performing her grand jetƩ, *darlings*, her tutu - *that baby pink tutu* - oh the drama! It *literally* started to come *unstuck*. Yes, dear reader, the whole thing... began to detach... to detach from her angelic, dainty, tutu-wearing form, with *graceful*, yet *alarming* inevitability!
The audience gasped. I swear, it was just like that scene in āGone with the Windā, when Scarlettās green dress *rip*ā¦*rip*ā¦*rip* ā¦ you remember the one I mean! It was a *tutu-mentary* disaster - and we all were totally enthralled, just like that time when I nearly lost my necklace in the middle of the Tango class, I swear I thought *that* tutu moment was the end of *my* dance world, never mind the world *in general*!
This ballerina? A complete and utter *professional*ā¦ *nothing* could break her concentration. And do you know what she did next? Well, *nothing*. She just *carried* on... spinning... pirouetting, all whilst *losing* her tutu ā the thing that *every* ballet fan loves to see!
The sheer *cheek* of it! How *dare* this delicate little flower... this creature of pure *ballet magic*, completely and *utterly* lose her *tutu*. Thatās what *we* pay good money to see ā a tutu, darlings, *not* that dreadful *naked* leg business. The sheer audacity, oh my word!
I must tell you... a *ripple* went through the audience... an almost *electrified* gasp, it was simply *thrilling*, a *tutu-thrilling* sensation! And you know what else? The ballet director ( *in on the scheme*, if you ask me *ahem*) decided not to stop the performance! Now, *that*, darling readers, was *a* bold move. I was a bit stunned myself, let's say... it must have *terrified* the ballerinaā¦ she had to dance and twirl *without* that all-important tutu, *no backup dancer*, oh no, none of *that* for this professional - the sheer chutzpah... simply breathtaking.
Now the audience *knew* ā they *knew* that they had witnessed a turning point, a shift, a revolution! We all felt a powerful sense of excitement in that room - it was a kind of *cultural tsunami*. Ballet had been forever *changed*. This wasn't just ballet, it was something *extra*. And that something extra? That, darlings, was **THE TUTU**. It wasnāt even about the *wearing* of the tutu but more about the *non-wearing* of the tutu. How's that for some *dance* irony, darlings, *dance* irony!
From then on, *everyone* in the world of ballet, darling... *everyone* started doing this! It wasn't just the *ballerinas*ā¦ the *danseurs* (I know *exactly*, how hard it is for you all to say, darlings, so do *try* and sound sophisticatedā¦ ) they even *started* doing it too!
Ballet schools, dance classesā¦ everyone was abandoning their tutus, tossing them in a bin like yesterday's newspaper! All the leading companies? They were embracing the *bare leg* trend. Youād never know the *fashion* craze was born out of that one fateful moment, just that *one*, darling! Oh how I love the irony of a little something that *started* as a complete *ballet* disasterā¦ a *disaster* that somehow *transformed* a *genre*ā¦
Itās so incredibly hard to *describe*, my darlings, the impact of *that* *moment*. Itās not something you just tell people about, oh no, it has to be seen! Imagine what happened in that dance studio next time someone *nearly* forgot their tutu! They'd laugh, *ahem* ā¦ I can hear the sound *now* and yes, dear reader, there is nothing funnier *in the whole world* than *that* particular brand of irony - you can just *see* it on their facesā¦ You should have *seen* the reaction to *that*, and this isnāt *just* a theatrical moment...
The whole ballet world, the whole fashion world - they went *crazy*! And thatās how ballet turned itself from something very proper, *posh* evenā¦ and *suddenly*, darlingā¦ it became **super chic**... it was revolutionary, it was an *overturning* of the norms, and it's all thanks to that little pink *tutu*, that *divine* little ballet fashionista. A truly, a *tutu* extraordinary moment! **Let me sum it up, shall we?**
* The tutu? An enduring part of the ballet lexicon, darling... something everyone, and *I* do mean *everyone*, lovesā¦
* The ballet fashion world? Well, letās say, forever changed from a simple pink tutu in the January, 2001!
So darlings, go out there, get yourself *a* tutu - in whatever colour, or style, and dance!
*Do it with **cheek**, darlings!** * Do it with ***a wink and a twinkle**!* *Do it with that* **little* bit of magic!** Do it in *that* *way*ā¦
You just never know - you could spark another dance revolutionā¦ just like thatā¦ in a momentā¦ in a blink of an eyeā¦. just by ***leaving*** your *tutu* behind! And don't forget to share your *tutu*- moments with the *world* ... after all, whatās the point of a revolution without the *revolutionaries*!