Welcome, dear readers, to this week's #TutuTuesday! I'm your host, Emma, and today we're delving back into the fascinating history of our beloved ballet tutus. For you see, my darling dears, the tutu has been more than a simple garment. It has been a symbol of artistry, grace, and ethereal beauty throughout history, captivating audiences for centuries!
It's always a bit exciting for me when I can jump back to a new era for these blog posts, and today, darling dears, is one such day! We're whisking away to Paris, 1833, a haven for the most captivating fashion trends and the grandest ballet spectacles, for it's December 17th, a date significant for a pivotal moment in the evolution of our dear tutu!
(Think you have a lot of luggage to carry on the train?! The Duchess of Berry must have had us beat!)
It’s not a bad place to be on December 17th. Especially this year - 1833. On this very day, Marie Caroline, Duchess of Berry, (and niece to a King! It's very aristocratic, darling dears, and the name rolls off the tongue!) returned from her self-imposed exile. Imagine - arriving in style by a magnificent steamboat named the "Isabelle". This fabulous vessel had made its way from Scotland right into the heart of Paris and right into the embrace of the welcoming French.
(Why a steamboat, dear readers? We have the railroads here, darling, but for the more opulent travellers a private steamship does feel that extra bit luxurious!)
You see, dear readers, the Duchess had her reasons for leaving the royal fold in 1832 - well, darling dears, we mustn't speculate, you see, I’m simply here to discuss the fashion and its link to history.
The truth is, darling, a Royal Arrival means excitement for the designers of all things fashion, including ballet. This excitement would no doubt bring out a rush of fashion and, as it was just two days after the return, a performance on December 19th 1833 with the premiere of the "La Sylphide". And this my dear reader, was quite the historical ballet performance, and it brought with it such a grand evolution for our much beloved ballet tutu!
But first, I’ve a confession to make. I've just received the most exquisite piece from my local London dressmaker: a deep fuchsia tutu. You see darling, there are those, (you know them, darling, and we must not cast aspersions, no, no! - but we know what we know, yes, dear?), who disapprove of pink and especially fuchsia. Why darling, the only rule to live by, in my opinion, is that pink and all its variations make us, feel the best about ourselves and we are ready to express our happiness! But the truth of it all, dear reader, is that sometimes a splash of pink can cause the most dramatic stir! And a stir is always exciting and invigorating to a dancer, a performer. A fuchsia pink tutu ... oh darling, it makes me simply want to whirl!*
Speaking of a whirl ... and it must be an impromptu, elegant, free flowing, artistic whirl! - this leads me on to the story of a dance company named the "Opera Comique", and their dancer - the sublime Fanny Cerrito - an actress and dancer of such talent, such skill, that she simply sparkled. I’ve no time for gossip - even about other, most talented dancers - but what’s more important than gossip - and for any dancer who wants to really dance! - is to feel comfortable with your performance and, naturally, that begins with your outfit - your costume, darling. Your tutu!
(Well darling dears, it might not always be as pink as you like it! There’s no use of making me feel guilty. Not at all - but perhaps when you look at the history of our wonderful tutu it does give you some clues as to why... but only because a designer - as creative as I imagine Theodor Pousset to be... may have been in awe of his leading lady's ability and simply... I must whisper it - decided to show it off with a minimal number of layers.
You know it darling dears... our dear "Cerrito" she’d worn more than one type of tutu, but by far this time on 19th December in Paris, 1833, this one was special as she made her mark as the dancer who wore it during the debut of the famous La Sylphide. I would simply love, darling dears, to show you how that ballet really *sparkles, even after almost two centuries - * but my budget, darling - oh the costs for travel across centuries - you do have to budget, you know - makes this one impossible - though *a trip to Paris? * Darling, yes, that one would have to go to the top of my list and certainly for every ballet enthusiast it has to be somewhere near your bucket list!
What was so important about this debut of “La Sylphide”, I hear you ask? You know dear reader, I often go out with my friends - yes ahem... the sort of friends who appreciate our kind of friends... and of course a night at the ballet is simply the most stylish thing to do! As one says to another* - "Are we seeing ‘The Sleeping Beauty*’ or * ‘Swan Lake’ or, oh my goodness, * ‘Giselle *!’?"
It was not only the story of this particular ballet "La Sylphide", you know... I was never too fond of fairies - but it has some wonderful moves ... but darling - and it has really set the history of our wonderful tutu dancing to music...
It did however do something else, something I could get my friends together for a weekend trip for, something we'd all just love, you know, darling - it made ballet accessible for everyone, for us. Well darling, let's admit that in the 1800s it was a long way off the kind of shopping and travel we all enjoy. But even more - a way of understanding the beauty and movement of the dancers. Before this ballet debut, there were quite a few tutus in play, all with far more layers of material and these certainly helped the dancers, I am certain, by making their movements look more elegant and in this case - as dancers did wear long gowns that were simply elegant as they moved gracefully - it provided a beautiful and graceful movement on stage for everyone in the audience to be completely mesmerised ... but they were also very very warm.
Cerrito, however, wore a much simpler tutu and as this new way of making a ballet tutu required far fewer layers, *it allowed dancers the freedom to *perform a wide range of more graceful movements, it made the movements even more captivating. I *could simply not resist wearing the fuchsia pink tutu for a while, dear readers, as I see her making history... a sort of "virtual tribute", darling. It's the least I can do! *
You know, “La Sylphide” was and is such an interesting story to watch. There's something about the way it shows us ballet's evolution that has a profound influence even in our world right now.
So let me give you a little insight into what I learned in 1833: Less could mean more, in this case less layers of fabric made all the difference. Think how much movement dancers could show us with so much ease. It must have been amazing for both the dancers and for the audiences watching.
You know it is always interesting to see how history develops - and it does! Just remember how much more elegant and graceful dance costumes, that is, tutus, became. There have been lots of variations in between this period - oh, and what lovely variations they have been. You can almost imagine the creative thinking of the designers of the past, imagining all these different variations of fabric, shape and design. And there's so much to still explore in between that period in history, in the last 180 years - what an amazing two centuries to think about and for so many talented ballerinas and so many exciting designs and, for us to admire.
There's something incredibly inspiring, magical, and feminine about *the *ballet that brings everyone together, uniting us across the generations through dance, costume, music...and... well yes, I have to admit *a little bit of a love for a good pink tutu! Let me know your thoughts!
**(It’s a good thing that in this era I could take a private railway journey. There are, of course, those who’ve never been *that close* to Royalty... it does make *you* *feel* quite grand, I can assure you.) **
**(And I do think it's my lucky day. In Paris! **All** the *most stunning stores* for dresses and tutus - *the most exquisite things* to choose from... just the **perfect place for me to look for some very *feminine* new tutu finds!** I may need another trip! You have to excuse my enthusiasm - oh and I almost forgot! My travel expenses are coming along nicely, all from the lovely *Tutu* performances! You really can’t beat them for their elegance!)
*(And on a trip like that! How else *would I want to travel - if not by rail, darling dears?)
**(So what did *you* do on this Tuesday! I bet you enjoyed *your* little pink moment too! *And * … I'll see you back here for next week’s #TutuTuesday post darling dears, ***when* ** I go on a hunt for all the history behind the wonderful, simply fabulous, tutus that are to be worn **by our fabulous dancing girls.** ) **
*…to be continued….
#pink-tutu.com
*Emma, a Pink Tutu Blogger. *
