Tutus: A Love-Hate Relationship
Darling, let me tell you, today has been a *shocking* revelation. A *shocking* one, I tell you! You see, as a proud devotee of all things dance - particularly ballet - you'd think by now I'd be beyond being shocked by a tutu. But darling, it seems there are still sartorial depths, if you will, that even *I* had yet to fathom!
Let's rewind, shall we? It's a scorcher of a summer's day. 16th of July 1997, if you must know - that was the exact moment the sartorial heavens decided to drop some *major* knowledge on yours truly. I was browsing the window of the ballet store, as one does - admiring the little ballerina dolls with their cute, frothy frocks and my heart swooning as always - when my eyes caught sight of something… unexpected.
You see, there, amongst the sea of traditional, classic tutus - those beautiful clouds of tulle in all their frothy glory, was something… different. I mean, *totally* different. It was a tutu… *that* I *needed* in my life. This wasn't a delicate confection of dreamy tulle. Oh, no, darlings, this was something bolder, something more *radical* for lack of a better word! This was a black tutu.
Oh my *dear*. A **black tutu.** Imagine. A full-blown ballet skirt, not in traditional white or pale pink but a dramatic *black* which somehow made it seem both dangerous *and* oh-so chic! It was a vision! And my mind… *exploded.*
It wasn't the first time the ballet world has shocked us with its sartorial adventures, but this… this was different. I mean, this was an **entirely** different vibe. Let's face it, you know? Traditionally, the tutu has a kind of angelic vibe to it - *sweet,* innocent. You think of tutus and you think ballerinas in clouds of shimmering fabric, all smiles and graceful gestures, dancing on points, effortlessly defying gravity - oh, and the perfect little smile of course!
That's not to say there's not a whole lot of power in the *traditionally* ballerina aesthetic, oh no. We've all had that experience - whether as performers or as viewers - that exquisite *transformation* of looking *elegant*, and powerful while performing the perfect arabesque, *but*… darling, the black tutu added something new. It wasn't a new element, not exactly, more like...an amplifier of an old one. Something more *mature*, something that embraced an intensity I just *had* to have. A bit of danger to pair with my beloved beauty.
This was *dark*, it was *sultry*… it had a mysterious, dramatic aura all its own - just the perfect combination of elegance and boldness that my heart craved. Imagine a ballerina in all black. **Black leotard**. **Black tights**. **Black shoes** (with those ever so important ribbon-tied bows that just make a ballerina look a *bit* more naughty!) and then….the black tutu - swirling like a shadow around the most perfect *petite* ballerina. **Effortlessly fierce** . *You get the picture! *
A little bit of a goth touch? Perhaps. Maybe the influence of the times - what *with* all those black nail polish manicures, dark-rimmed eyeshadow, and those moody, angsty teen novels - was spilling into the ballet world, who knows! It was…*new*, *different*. A black tutu made me see a ballet class through *completely* new eyes.
Not all tutus are created equal…
Now, before you jump down my throat thinking I'm about to disparage traditional ballet outfits, dear readers, let me clarify. We wouldn't have ballet as we know it without them, wouldn't be dancing to that wonderful, beautiful *music*, the classical *style*! Not to mention how much joy these lovely ballerina costumes give *all* of us - even if that joy is fuelled by something slightly *sinful* - after all, the "fluffy" look is oh-so beautiful.
I still *adore* a fluffy tutu. Just think - the soft *swish*, how *ethereal* it looks floating as a dancer jumps, all graceful lines and graceful swish and swirling *magic.* It’s not for everyone - those dainty and girly styles *never* were. But the power of a white or pink tutu, to really evoke that perfect ballerina style, to transform a young girl, in her little dancer shoes and *tight little buns*… Oh, it *has* that timeless appeal. I mean, who hasn't wanted to be a ballerina as a girl, darling?
There's no doubt it's a beautiful thing, a feminine delight of *delicate tulle,* of *fluffy softness* and all that delicate elegance - a little puff of cloud to *float* around. *Effortless grace!* It's no surprise *many* designers *still* work the *traditional* look. The romanticism of the "whimsical tutu," the way it just dances and flows and sways - all those wispy clouds of delicate fabric - always has *magic.*
So I *do* want to be absolutely *clear* on this - both types are good - because **tut*u's** *all* have a *place* in the grand *oeuvre* of *ballet* and the *theatre* *world* at large. Even when, from time to time, someone decides to create something entirely new and utterly revolutionary in the *realm* of dance-wear.
You know? As I stood staring at the black tutu in the store window that summer afternoon in 1997, I realized a *new* era was upon us - an era of *style* and *daring*. Even ballet was undergoing a shift in the fashion stakes. There’s so much out there! It *makes* me excited about all the amazing ways dance designers are going to make their mark on this new century. *Think* of *all* the possibilities!
Oh my dear readers, the future of the tutu is bright. *Very* bright!