Ballet's Big Fat Tutus: Are We Finally Embracing the Comfort Factor?
It's been 15th June, 2006, darlings, and Iâm absolutely buzzing to tell you all about this truly, utterly bonkers turn of events! Remember the stuffy, old-fashioned world of ballet? Think all tight buns and even tighter leotards? Well, honey, get ready to twirl into a new era because the tutu revolution is here. Itâs the ultimate rebellion, a declaration of sartorial liberation! And believe me, itâs all kinds of fabulously messy.
So, hereâs the thing. Ever since my debut in Swan Lake back in â95, the ballerina's uniform hasn't exactly been the epitome of comfort, darling. That scratchy, tight leotard and a tutu that felt like youâre practically wearing a giant marshmallowâtalk about restrictive. Even the fancy tulle seemed to scream âdiscipline!â not âdarling, twirl your troubles away!â. Well, all of that is officially a thing of the past. Hold onto your pom poms, girls, because things are about to get⌠comfortable.
The whispers began last season, little murmurs of a new wave, and oh darling, how right those whispers were! From London's Royal Ballet to the New York City Ballet, theyâre all jumping on board. Imagine my surprise when I popped into the Royal Opera House the other day and, instead of that usual stark white sea of classical tutus, I was greeted with... hold your breath... neon pink. It was all âdisco feverâ meets âballerina dreamâ, darling! There I was, alongside our leading prima ballerinas, flaunting our newly liberated figures. Even the prima ballerinas themselves were practically buzzing. Itâs about time someone embraced the ultimate statement: that the more comfortable the ballerina, the better she dances. Who needs that uncomfortable âballerina physiqueâ, darling? We are graceful goddesses, and even goddesses want to be comfortable, darlings!
Whatâs making this whole âcomfortable balletâ revolution tick? Well, it's a a double whammy. First, thereâs this new generation of designers, darlings, these trailblazers who have this wonderful ability to think outside the box! Instead of that constricting leotard, imagineâprepare to be dazzled, petâstretch-woven, silky, oh-so-comfortable, body-skimming pants in a myriad of joyous hues! Even better? It makes the tutu really, really, stand out, like a gigantic, tulle cloud above it all.
Of course, the whole âcomfortable tutuâ revolution isn't without its hurdles. Thereâs that whole âclassical ballerinaâ element, the traditionalists who swear by their tiny, scratchy leotards. Theyâve got these dramatic looks, darling, like their favourite tutu has been abducted and their favourite ballerina-wear-only colour has been replaced by, well, colour, darlings. Itâs enough to make you cry. Imagineâall that elegance and grace with not even a dash of comfort?
You've got to give it to the classic ballerinas: they are masters at turning their legs into graceful whips, spinning into pirouettes and making the whole dance routine seem impossibly effortless, while they are wearing essentially, a very stiff, very structured, itchy garment. However, comfort or no comfort, itâs not easy to look effortlessly graceful. That's where the other revolutionary change comes into play, my darling: We are, quite simply, taking our time.
Remember those super tight-bun days? Theyâre done, darling. The messy bun is in! Our hair is a bit wild, our steps more natural, and itâs freeing up all those mental reserves that we once used to be âperfectâ, instead of just being fabulous. Of course, comfort means our legs canât hold the graceful and perfect âarabesque" for hours at a time. So we have to embrace imperfection. Think, if not perfectly balanced then perfectly imperfect, with an oh-so-comfortable dash of relaxed elegance! It's not about ignoring the precision of the steps, itâs about celebrating a sense of effortless joy, darlings.
And that, darling, is what this whole tutu revolution is truly about: embracing a whole new kind of ballet beauty. One where itâs perfectly okay to have a bit of messy hair, to take a break when your muscles scream at you to, to smile a little wider while youâre doing it all because itâs actually⌠enjoyable! Because isnât dancing, even professional dancing, all about being happy, about telling stories, about making magic, darlings? Why let a leotard, and an impossibly structured tulle tutu hold us back when it comes to simply having fun? The whole âclassical balletâ thing always struck me as a little bit of an illusion, and the beauty was just soâŚ. structured. It was too perfect to seem real.
Thatâs why this is truly a glorious and welcome revolution in the world of ballet, and dare I say, a revolution for all women everywhere. We have earned our comfort, my darling. Donât be afraid to ditch that old, scratchy uniform and embrace a new level of ease! This revolution is a true dance for joy!
But be warned, itâs not always pretty. Like anything revolutionarily great, you are going to have to deal with the side effects. Like⌠the little things. Like pink tulle being very difficult to keep clean in Londonâs air!
So, remember darlings, next time you watch a ballet performance, pay close attention, because things are about to get wild. And the revolution? Itâs going to get a little bit messier⌠and a whole lot more fun.