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#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1832-05-15

Tutu Tuesday #20: The Birth of the Tutu, Oh La La!

Bonjour, my darling dance devotees! It’s Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood tutu enthusiast, back with another trip through time for our #TutuTuesday ballet history extravaganza!

Today, my little loves, we're going all the way back to 1832, a momentous year for ballet and, oh my, a year that made all of our dreams come true. Get ready to gasp in amazement, because this is the story of how the beloved tutu came to be! Buckle up, my sweeties, this journey's a real whirl!

Now, I've been on the road, honey, but it’s such a pleasure to be back home in Paris! I don’t think any other city in the world feels quite as glamorous. My last stop, though, was oh, so exciting, derbyshire, my birthplace! derbyshire, the heart of the Peak District. As for where we are right now Paris, baby! We’re on our way to the Palais Garnier, the opera house. Paris in 1832… just as the tutu made its entrance! Let's start with the scene.

Oh my! Just picture this, darling: a theatre absolutely alive, glittering lights dancing across the stage. And imagine the anticipation in the air. Tonight, there's magic on stage. * The stage lights have dimmed. We all stand for the music… and, it starts. But this, my lovelies, is not just *any night at the opera. This night is special because it marks the first appearance of *the ultimate ballet wardrobe statement: the *tutu! Oh, how exciting, oh, how dramatic! I couldn’t contain my excitement. In fact, my journey back in time here was made all the more worth it to see the tutu take its first bows! *Think, 190 years in the past to 15 May 1832! * Just imagine being at the very start of the tutu’s fabulous fashion journey. Wow! This really is a magical date in ballet history, just one of those special moments that time seems to stand still for… And that, dear friends, is why today is a truly momentous day in ballet history! The tutu, as we know it today, officially debuted.

“It was just magic.” That’s what the whispers on the street are. Everyone who came saw something new in the dancing - it’s truly the moment that we are going to forever remember for how ballet changed forever. The dancers took the stage wearing something brand new, the kind of attire that made everyone watching just gasp. Now imagine everyone being wowed all at once and just going… "Oh La La!" We don’t even need to know how amazing the ballerinas looked that night because we know we are always ready to jump for joy every time we put our own tutus on! Let’s celebrate 1832, everyone!

That special night, a very special ballerina graced the stage, Marie Taglioni who made that moment unforgettable, darling! Her new costume… what was it, *you may be wondering, how could it have been so dramatic and daring? * Her costumes had already moved into a new design space for the pas de trois. (The music for that is on repeat for me this whole week! So much beautiful inspiration.) I am completely in love with her designs. As always, dancers never stop stunning us with their beauty and performance skill! We all admire how brave and incredible she was. Her movements in that skirt … just incredible. The whole scene is just something out of our dreams.

What did this tutu look like, oh my little darlings? Imagine a graceful swirl of pale, gossamer material that whispered as she danced! Gone was the rigid, heavier dress, replaced with something fluid, flowing like a dream, with a shorter skirt so that everyone in the audience could fully see and appreciate how absolutely incredible the dancer was! Can you believe it?! The first ballet dancers had worn layers upon layers, and these, as you know, restricted how free they were able to move! Our imaginations explode with all that came after in the history of ballet. But this… this was the game changer…

The tutus weren't a solid skirt. It was more like a cage made of wire to hold the form that was just so beautiful. Imagine how happy all the dancers were, no more weight on their shoulders! It made the movement just sooo much more incredible. You know, what else would we be doing in a tutu besides twirling?! Now let's do itAnd what were the colours in the 1830s for the very first tutus, oh my sweethearts?* They went for simple, classic, gorgeous colors, just what we would want now: soft white and ballet pink! It is always my go to colour. That soft blush pink is truly so pretty! Now I might prefer the slightly bolder, richer colors from some of my most favorite decades like the 1960s, you just can't go wrong with white or pink! *Sigh! *

And now for our favourite part: how did these special, first ever, tutus get their name, oh my? "Tutu" actually has two different theories on its origins. And it just makes you wish you were in 1832! How fun is it, thinking about those first years of the tutu! It all feels so romantic! Some people think it was named for Theobald Bohm, a talented, celebrated dancer of the 1800s. This seems super sensible and a good reason for the name! Maybe it even feels kind of elegant. Another possible source for the name comes from a French slang word "tutu", which means "a little skirt! How charming is that, my lovelies! The French definitely get our sense of style, that is for sure.

But our tut-tacular story doesn’t stop there, darling! That same year in May, 15th May 1832 to be exact, there was a monumental revolution in the world of French politics too. In the midst of the tutus arriving… that's right!… the same day we have the birth of the tutu… oh, how special! What a day for dancing and change!

I do hope this was all the more fun and informative! I’ve been saying this was our most amazing Tutu Tuesday blog yet! Who could have known! Well my little lovelies, we’ve been through so many times with this history series of ours but that first day, for so many of us that dance is a big part of our lives, the tutut-ness… It’s all about feeling that joy, that creativity. I think about the feeling when you see a tutu. You know it… That sense of excitement, the joy that is so deep in all of us!

Stay tuned to www.pink-tutu.com, for another trip through history and more tutu inspiration. Keep up with all of our favourite ballet blogs for updates too. Until next Tuesday, my precious dance friends, may your every pirouette be filled with grace and wonder, oh La La. I’ll see you soon!

#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1832-05-15