Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your trusty guide through the history of tutus! This Tuesday I’m back with a new blast from the past! Grab your feather boas and put on your prettiest pink frock, we’re taking a train ride back to September 29th, 1840 – and what a year that was! It was just so bursting with excitement!
The world was abuzz, I’m telling you. The whole continent, especially France and Italy. What was happening you ask? Well, this was the era of ballerinas truly owning the stage – these amazing dancers weren't just pretty faces; they were powerful and expressive! The whole world was talking about their art, and trust me, I’m living it for them!
Of course, September the 29th was just another day in 1840 for the everyday person. It was a normal Tuesday for bakers, for the chimney sweeps, and the fishmongers in the market square. But for me, for this tutu-loving traveller in time, it’s another amazing day to tell you about those ballerinas. Oh! Don’t you just love the sheer elegance of the Romantics era? Such delicate grace and soft pastel colours!
From Italy to Paris: The Dawn of the Tutu
My first stop on this historical tour: Paris! Ah, la belle Paris. Where else would one begin this incredible journey?
That day in 1840, I can imagine the crowds gathering for a show at the Opera Garnier. Just picture it, all that glitz and glamor – those gilded balconies overflowing with ladies in elegant hats and frilled dresses. It's all about extravagance back then.
Imagine if we could hop inside the theater – wouldn’t it be fabulous? The sound of the orchestra, the smell of perfumed air, and on stage... the dancers, dancing. All swirling and twirling, so light and graceful in their tutus, creating a magical world with their artistry!
As I travel back in time and see what is around me, I’m so aware of the evolving ballerina dress, especially the shape of their tutu. 1840 – it’s a time of big changes, and a crucial year in our tutu tale. And while it was already a recognisable shape, with that floaty, short length showing the calves, the tutu is starting to really be understood. People are getting the picture of what makes this costume so fantastic for these beautiful dancers.
I can see a young dancer on the stage. Maybe she’s Marie Taglioni, or maybe it’s Carlotta Grisi, two ballerinas who made huge waves in ballet during the Romantics. Now, can you imagine their tutus, those graceful bell-shaped beauties! The design is about to have an incredible journey from a fairly flat silhouette to what you know as the Romantic tutu of a long, bell-shaped structure with full-coverage at the bottom to more delicate, ethereal layers at the top of the leg. They look amazing when they dance! These ladies had more than a talent for ballet; they had that je ne sais quoi that would come to be the epitome of Parisian charm and the flair of the era. We can see just how those skirts, just by how they moved and danced, helped the audience understand those emotions - they truly told stories!
I wish I had been able to wear one then! But what can I say? That’s why we need to cherish all the beautiful ballerinas and choreographers now – they work so hard, so they can tell us stories. And of course, I cherish that history as I work so hard to tell you all these tales of amazing tutu history and my personal love of ballet in this fabulous time travel journey of mine.
I imagine the audience would be enthralled – gasp after gasp of sheer amazement as they saw the graceful movements of the ballerina, the passion she brings, the storytelling, the pure and wonderful magic of this special kind of art. I adore a ballet! There is just something about the beauty of ballet and ballet performances that gets me going! Maybe it’s the energy of the ballerinas? Maybe it’s the beauty of their dress and movement? It really has to be all those things that gives me that frisson of excitement!
I’m lucky as a ballet lover to experience some brilliant shows at London’s Covent Garden theatre. But, back in the era of Marie Taglioni in Paris... well, that is truly legendary! It’s this era when a change in costumes – and tutus especially – was revolutionizing the way that ballerinas danced.
Just imagine the excitement – the gasps and murmurs as those tulle creations were unveiled for the first time, maybe for the first time at the Paris Opera House or for the first time at a theatre in the heart of Milan. What would those tutus have been made of? Silks? Satin? Maybe some velvet for those really luxurious shows! They wouldn't have used the beautiful nylon we use for tutus today, but there’s no doubt the results would have been as striking. They say, in the history books, that those dancers were so small and petite – imagine, if they even needed to pull up the top part of their tutu to achieve that incredible romantic length. Talk about elegance and romance – talk about style.
But back to those Parisian crowds... they'd have gone wild! This wasn't a simple show, darling. This was a spectacle. It’s all part of ballet history now! Every ballet show – every grand theatre with their incredible performance - makes history!
My Ballet Journey for This Tuesday: London’s Covent Garden – I'm Ready for More Magic!
I can tell you, a good ballet can leave me feeling on cloud nine for the whole rest of the week. Even now in the 21st century, all the tutus and the ballerinas have such charm! A ballet dancer with all the movement and grace of a bird soaring high – it’s no wonder ballet tutus became an absolute must-have fashion statement for young girls of the day! Every princess needs her own ballet outfit, I mean, what more magical inspiration could they have?
A day of the ballet, a visit to London’s Covent Garden theatre - oh the shops! And of course, those lovely ladies at Harrods! – it’s all in a day’s work. Shopping, exploring, ballet and of course, looking fabulously in my very own pink tutu! That’s right – just another normal day for me, a girly girl travelling through time for her blog on the glorious history of tutus and, oh yes, my mission to get the whole world in pink! And I think with that, I can just hear those applause from a fantastic audience as a very famous ballerina dances on stage!
But as I take this ride back from Paris back to London and Covent Garden, what can I tell you about my latest adventure! So, what else has been going on for me, apart from those brilliant Parisian shows, you ask? Well, London, what a lovely day trip!
Oh, that is the thing about train travel. Isn’t it wonderful? So picturesque, so leisurely! The view goes whizzing by the window, a real ballet of colours and movement as it passes – it’s just such a charming, chic, romantic mode of travel!
And if I had a pound for every time I looked out of that carriage window – or had time to slip away into the railway stations, just so I could look at those displays of gorgeous hat boxes or visit those vintage fashion boutiques...I think you know my day would be quite full, even before the ballet performance begins. So that’s where I'm off to! Don't forget, if you have a story you'd love to tell, if you have a Tutu story from the past – I’d love to hear it!
Until Next Week’s Tutu Tuesday, Darling, keep the pink in your steps!
