#TutuBlog 2004-05-06 in Basildon with a heavy tutu.

Hello darlings!

It’s Emma here, back with you from the sunny, well, sometimes sunny (we all know British weather!), Derbyshire.

Today I’m writing from the comfort of my rather delightful little train carriage, which is hurtling me towards Basildon, home of my latest ballet adventure. Can you even believe it? Basildon! Who’d have thought?

Now, some of you might think, “Basildon, Emma? Is that where you’re finally getting your tutu from that artisan maker?” (a nod to my most recent blog, “Searching For The Perfect Tutu”), and you might be wondering about that fabulous horse I’ve mentioned. Well, this trip isn’t quite like that. But don’t worry, darlings! I’ve got my trusty tutu in my handbag. And you know I’m always ready to find a new, fabulously flamboyant twist on the classic!

Before I get carried away (pun absolutely intended, because, ballet!) let's rewind a bit. Today I'm embracing the most enchanting way to travel - by train. You can’t beat it. That’s because the train is truly the ballet of transport. It’s all about timing, rhythm, grace, and yes, sometimes a bit of a pirouette around a corner, as those little carriages whiz past. Honestly, it's pure balletic bliss! I love watching the countryside whizzing by; fields of daffodils, a scattering of sheep looking slightly bemused, the gentle roll of the countryside as if we were dancing a graceful waltz!

Anyway, enough about train travel, we are headed to Basildon, and a magnificent treat awaits - The Basildon Ballet! (Yes, it’s an actual theatre company - get it, I just got that - very exciting!). I’m seeing "La Sylphide" which, if you know your ballets, is a big one. Big tutus, big drama, big emotions… I’m absolutely thrilled! It’s all part of a mission for me this week: embracing different aspects of ballet! I might not be on stage with them (although, I must say, I feel quite a surge of stage fright every time I walk into the audience) but seeing a truly remarkable performance gives me new inspiration and ideas for my next tutu.

Honestly, how does one not feel completely enchanted when the curtains open and a beautifully designed, flowing, layered costume steps out, twirling, leaping, flowing gracefully across the stage? The energy! It really is intoxicating! And it makes me, Emma, the pink-tutu loving ballerina extraordinaire, yearn to move even more.

To that point, dear readers, do you ever wonder what ballet is like for everyone else? I know I can't resist an extra little arabesque, a perfect grand jeté in my living room, and sometimes I practice my port de bras whilst making my morning cup of tea (never the teapot though!). The point is, I wonder, how can others have more ballet in their lives, if even for a brief, uplifting, sparkly moment?

Don’t you find that sometimes a touch of "extra", something unexpected, a burst of creative energy just turns the day around? It’s a little like a perfectly timed jeté; if done right, it turns the simple everyday into something more joyful, graceful, uplifting. Ballet does that for me! It makes life a bit brighter, just like a flash of pink!

Which is why, to bring my love of pink and my mission to spread ballet to everyone (even the skeptics!) I'm doing something new! My blog is now a full-fledged… you know what? This has been building inside me, the creative juices flowing (like the most exquisite port de bras), and I just want to tell you, my dear, faithful blog readers, I'm going to write a book! That's right, a book about ballet! Oh, this feels just like taking that big leap, right on the stage, a beautiful grand jeté, to go beyond my blog, and bring my passion for ballet to even more of the world!

I am so excited about this journey. I'm dreaming of an exquisite hardback with a dazzling pink tutu adorning the front, but first I need your help. This book needs a title that catches the eye, grabs you, like a beautiful arabesque! You see, this is going to be different than all the ballet books you’ve seen (well, that I’ve seen!) It’s going to have that extra, something that brings a little bit of that “ballet magic” into everyday life, and gets people moving like ballet gets me moving. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, now for the fun part! The call to action! I've started a new hashtag - #BringBackTheTutu - and I need you, my gorgeous readers, to post pictures of yourselves wearing pink tutus - any pink tutu will do! I've already got my darling grandmother making a tutu in vibrant shocking pink, it's going to be divine. But you don't even have to have a proper tutu - just throw on something pink, a dress, a top, a fluffy cardigan, even a sock! Then tag it with #BringBackTheTutu ! The best photo, with the most creative tutu, will receive a personal ballet lesson from yours truly!

So let's dance, darlings! And spread the joy of pink! The fun is just beginning!

Yours, in tutus and trains, Emma xx