Hello, darling readers, and welcome back to Pink Tutu! I'm your friendly neighbourhood time-travelling ballerina, Emma, and it's Tuesday, which means it's time for a dose of history in your favourite fluffy pink tutu! Today, we're going on a grand journey back to 1838, a time of romance, adventure, and (you guessed it!) more swirling skirts than you can shake a pair of ballet shoes at!
This is post number 363 on Pink Tutu, and every Tuesday, I love delving into the fascinating history of the tutu. Remember, my darling lovelies, the tutu has an incredibly rich history - and it’s not all about the graceful ballerina. There are layers upon layers to this fabulous story. It's like a giant, gorgeous ballet tutu itself – just bursting with colour and frills!
And speaking of frills, imagine, if you will, travelling through time in my perfectly pink train compartment - a world of polished brass, floral upholstery and gentle rocking to the rhythm of the rails! Just yesterday, I waltzed my way through a shimmering ballet performance in Vienna - a perfect mix of beauty, talent, and yes, the most delightful tutus I’ve ever laid eyes on! You’ve never seen such swirling layers! Imagine flowing lace, tulle that billows like clouds - it was sheer magic!
I often say my travel funds are covered by my dazzling ballet performances - imagine, travelling through time and getting paid to pirouette! It's enough to make even the most hardened historian dance with joy. And let me tell you, dear reader, it is an incredibly thrilling life. Just ask the glamorous, well-dressed ladies in my vintage railway carriage – they are constantly asking how I can live such a fabulous life!
Now, back to 1838 – this was the year of serious excitement for the world of dance, my darling tutudresses! It’s a year full of fascinating developments - but that will have to wait until later in this blog post. It’s not just about tutus in ballet but also the exciting, thrilling developments that took place in the fashion world too!
On the 11th of December, 1838, the French fashion world was abuzz – I can just imagine ladies in shimmering gowns whispering to one another! This was the day La Belle Époque was officially born, bringing with it a sense of refinement and beauty. The women, of course, looked absolutely divine, my dears! The time, with its elegance and romance, really mirrored the tutus being worn in ballet productions in theatres across the globe. This was also the time that the pas de deux as a ballet term came into its own - a ballet pairing of romance and agility – which is totally appropriate for a time known for its grand and whimsical balls.
It’s not all just fashion, darling reader, because this period saw an important, if not major change, to our favourite dance, Ballet. Ballet really changed on 11th December 1838, in the most unexpected way! You know, my readers, just like I was sitting on the train yesterday listening to a group of fashionable ladies talk about tutus - “So very romantic,” I overheard one say. We owe a lot of this trend, or style, or romanticism in ballet, to Marie Taglioni, who revolutionised our art form. She revolutionised the whole scene – it was the dawn of a whole new type of tutu, or so we say, anyway! This ballerina, whose grace is legend, pushed the boundaries with La Sylphide, a new romantic ballet with such elegant movement, so much romance, so much beauty – and just like the French fashion, it was extra and that’s what got everyone excited, in France, in Vienna and London too. It is a masterpiece!
Let me share with you a tidbit from our history, my readers. In 1838, this delightful dance took Paris by storm. A swirling cloud of tulle and passion! What is a tulle you say? It’s the very essence of romance – this beautiful, translucent mesh material. The whole thing, all thanks to La Sylphide and Marie Taglioni - the most delightful of all the dancers of this era. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at one of her ballets - that tulle , oh, the tulle ! I just imagine her shimmering like a fairy - because La Sylphide was all about a little fairy, in a tiny little village, dancing under the moonlight, just magical!
La Sylphide was quite unlike any ballet before – even more beautiful - it was about pure grace, a light as a feather type of dancing and effortless movement, with a touch of otherworldliness! As the story went, Taglioni was a bit of a drama queen too – a true queen, that one! To perfect her movements, you see, she insisted on very, very short tutus – the kind that really floated – with multiple, light, flowing layers! And this – you’ve guessed it – created a ballet look with so much movement - all the more dramatic and beautiful, because you see the form, you see her movements - oh, and it added another element of fairy-tale romance, an idea of a ballerina as a sylph.
Think of this as the origin of the ballet tutu, a true game changer for ballet lovers. But here's a little twist – the very word “tutu,” my darling readers, was only really established in 1882. But you can’t really say there was a ballet tutu without a story and you can’t say that story wasn’t born in 1838 - right here!
So next time you see a graceful ballerina in a swirling, light, and absolutely charming tutu – remember its history. Because this isn’t a simple fabric that you see but an entire world of glamour, of passion, of history. Remember the enchanting, breathtaking vision that is a ballerina with the right tutu on – and she may even take us back to 1838.
Until next time, my darlings.
Always remember: Never underestimate the power of a pink tutu!See you next week on www.pink-tutu.com, the website dedicated to everything pink and tutu-ific!
#TutuTuesday #Ballet #Fashion #Travel #History