Hello my dearest tutu-loving friends! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things ballet and frills! Today, as usual, it's Tutu Tuesday, and we're taking a twirl back in time to April 4th, 1837!
Fancy a bit of time travel with me? Grab your teacup and biscuits, let’s set off on a grand journey through the fashions of the 1830s! Now, hold onto your bonnets, this is a fascinating tale!
This week, we find ourselves right smack bang in the heart of London, and oh, how I love London! I do fancy a jaunt on the grand Thames with its bustling boats and beautiful sights, don't you? But what's all the fuss about today, you ask? It’s quite momentous actually! Today marks the coronation of young Queen Victoria, a tiny monarch in a vast kingdom, and with a grand flair for fashion! Can you imagine? The day is overflowing with celebrations!
Now, if you close your eyes and picture a 1830s royal wedding, the scene is practically bursting with frills, layers, and colours! Ladies are dressed in their finest gowns, with the most spectacularly detailed sleeves and voluminous skirts imaginable. The outfits themselves would surely take weeks of sewing!
Remember when we explored the evolution of ballet costumes back in the 1700s? Back then, it was all about luxurious layers of silk and lace for our ballerinas, designed to emulate the flowing drapery of Grecian statuary. The "tutu" as we know it, was far from being a familiar sight in those times!
But dear oh dear, all those layers of luxurious material and intricate tailoring? The ballerinas were finding it a bit restrictive, especially during the rapid changes and graceful steps of their dancing. Can you imagine the heat and the extra effort needed for even a simple leap? I couldn't do it, I tell you!
That's why I’m so happy to report, we’re inching closer and closer to the evolution of the iconic tutu as we know it!
And to celebrate this momentous day, our dear Queen Victoria, with a charming taste for the theatrical, was a massive supporter of the arts. It was just like her to add a flourish of pink, right? 🩰
Just like her grand celebrations of all things art and music, ballet shows and dance performances were all the rage in London's elite circles! It was the place to be seen and enjoyed by society’s fashionable set! And even if you’re not the daughter of an Earl, or Duchess, or whatever high-born lady it might be, you can join in on the excitement too. You know what’s fun? To put on a performance yourself! It’s an amazing opportunity for even the smallest town or village in our fair land to have a bit of culture and celebration in their own way!
I just have to tell you about these wonderful events that caught my eye as I traveled here – the Ballet, of course! The Sadler’s Wells theatre in London! You might remember them from those captivating Shakespearean plays! But imagine this grand theatre being completely transformed into a world of elegant swirling, leaping ballerinas. It’s positively bewitching. I feel like I'm a fairy whisked off to a fantastical land! A beautiful dream! And the ballerinas! Absolutely exquisite!
You know, with these dance performances on the rise, those graceful leaps, and swift turns... there were even some who ventured into the street, outside the theatres, for an audience to watch the wonders! Imagine – dancing on cobblestones! A ballet right there on the streets of London, with shopkeepers watching out their windows, and maybe even a passing carriage pausing for a minute!
But you see, even these impromptu dances outside had their challenges, the streets were far from ideal! I could just see one of my fellow dancers getting caught on the uneven cobbles and tripping over the odd dog leash! My own grandmother taught me in the Derbyshire fields with only the tall stalks of wheat swaying to the breeze.
You can tell, I love getting outside! Why wouldn't I! This open air ballet dancing in these London streets! This was definitely the start of the ballet performances of the future. Imagine if you were there in the audience back then!
Remember, though I’m time traveling and experiencing all this history for you, you don’t need to go back in time to embrace your inner ballerina! You can celebrate the amazing journey of ballet any day of the week! There’s so much fun to be had and so much inspiration to find!
Don’t forget – be a ray of sunshine! Don’t forget, just be yourself, a beautiful ballerina soul, right? Just don’t forget to twirl! You have to put on a dazzling pink tutu. Every Tuesday is Tutu Tuesday.
Let me know what you thought of today's trip back in time! Tell me, what's your favourite thing about 19th-century fashion? Or even your favourite ballet from the past century? Don’t forget to check back for our next #TutuTuesday adventure on Pink-Tutu.com!
Now, before I head off to explore the amazing shops and find something stunningly pink for myself (a new tutu perhaps? ), go out and explore your inner dancer! I’m off to watch some beautiful shows myself! And remember, in a world that’s always getting more exciting, be sure to keep twirling.
Love, Emma. 💕
