#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1841-11-30

Bonjour mes chéries! Emma here, back from a whirlwind trip through time, landing right back in my darling Derbyshire and oh, the wonders I have to share with you all today. It's #TutuTuesday, so as usual, I'm here to chat all things tutu, but let's go on a historical adventure first.

Our journey today takes us back to 1841, specifically 30th November! I packed my darling pink tutu, naturally (it never fails to add a touch of magic to any time period) and took a first-class carriage to the grand city of Paris.

Now, Paris, 1841, my dears, was bursting with artistic energy! Everyone was going to the theatre, all the big names were dancing their hearts out in opulent, glittering shows. I was practically buzzing with excitement. I found myself a cosy seat right in the front row of the Palais Garnier, (don’t even mention it’s a tad under construction right now!) to watch the renowned dancers, so elegant and graceful, each twirling and leaping in those magnificent, beautiful tutus!

This period was absolutely ripe for the tutu’s rise to stardom! Think, graceful ladies with beautifully draped fabric, oh the movement, so delicate, flowing. They even called them “skirts" then - can you imagine! So the idea of tutus back then, wasn’t something rigid, not these wonderfully, softly, romantic, elegant “skirts” these brilliant artists were performing in.

*What was happening on 30th November 1841? *

Well, imagine a world without a ballet for a few months! Oh, what a nightmare! Thankfully, our little world was still very much in the world of theatre, and in particular the ballet was very much flourishing. On this day in 1841, there were some exciting performances happening! One particularly impressive spectacle at the Paris Opera was a ballet performance called “Le Diable à Quatre,” which is a charming French term that means something like “The Devil's Quadrille”. I can only imagine the magnificent steps, elegant and dynamic, in these lovely, breezy skirts that helped them glide across the stage! Oh, to be part of it all! I must tell you all about the dancing, you will never believe it!

The choreography of "The Devil's Quadrille" was utterly mesmerizing, the intricate steps and jumps seemed to be coming out of nowhere - so graceful.

Now, this might seem unbelievable to us now, but there was actually no official, “the tutu was invented” event. Think of it like how we wouldn't say that the “first” pair of trousers ever invented was “created” by one person - no, it was a long evolution over time. The same goes for the ballet tutu!

Think of this particular day in November 1841 as a wonderful milestone! As I sat in the theatre mesmerized, the dancing so magnificent, these delicate “skirts” really made my heart leap for joy. They looked, oh, so very pretty!

Now, let's dive back into history! Here's the thing, dear readers - for those of you wondering where all this beautiful history of tutus really begins - well, in the early nineteenth century (before our friend Mr. Carlotta Grisi) the early Romantics like Marie Taglioni in 1832 created what are described as tutus for us today. Those delicate dancing “skirts,” the long, full skirt called the “roman skirt.” It was designed with extra, extra soft, fine fabric to enable a whole new world of dancing, more romantic and graceful, for all of the women dancing the "The Sylphide”.

What a game changer that was - a very real breakthrough for both beauty and performing styles! These ballerinas were breaking new ground with this revolutionary invention - something which of course they never saw themselves - how much of an impact they had on the ballet of the future. Oh, those brave women of the early nineteenth century! We owe them everything - the beautiful dance of today.

Imagine being one of the early pioneers of the ballet! The feeling of excitement and freedom of these "Roman" skirts must have been overwhelming!

Now, our trip back in time to the world of 1841 brings us to an extremely exciting and innovative ballet era, which, we’ve already noted, wasn't only about the amazing choreography and movement but all about elegant costumes. A new kind of “skirt,” that could really be seen, in the theatre’s bright lights - which were much improved from candlelit nights of yesteryear! They helped to truly elevate and enhance the performances!

But how were these early Roman skirts put together and why do we all love the look today? We have the ladies of this period to thank. Remember those exciting early years of this revolutionary look of tutus were very much in development in their design, they weren't quite the tutus we think of today. No, my dears, we have the beautiful ballet dancer Maria Taglioni to thank, who actually helped to make these revolutionary "Roman skirts" even more revolutionary, so they were no longer all just so elegant but, very much more free for those glorious ballerina moves, especially her. She worked hard and her legacy lives on today! This truly was a wonderful time for ballet and, if I'm totally honest, I wish I could wear one of these lovely Roman skirts!

To my lovely readers, now we know where the amazing invention of tutus actually all started to come into its own - 1832, just nine years before our #TutuTuesday post date. Imagine - those nine years later how we had started to develop those wonderful “skirts,” then they went through a beautiful development stage and by the end of the nineteenth century - by 1900, tutus as we know them today were ready to enter a new century! So here's to the women of ballet history.

I hope you’re ready for this #TutuTuesday! Because we have an extra, extra treat today. You won’t want to miss this - it’s exciting - it’s fun, and we get to experience this amazing, revolutionary ballet history first hand - on stage and in your wardrobe today! Yes! It’s going to be a fun day, and oh yes! There is more coming from our travel back to Paris!

Fashion Friday - Back to 1841:

You may well be wondering about how my little trip through time inspired some lovely inspiration for my personal wardrobe back in Derbyshire today. Well, darling readers - you should see all of these incredible designs and colors of Parisian fashion, oh! Such gorgeous dresses - long and full. These designers back in 1841 know all about lovely shapes and fabric. They also know all about creating garments so, they fit the occasion! I must tell you more next Friday - as that’s “Fashion Friday”. But for now, it’s my biggest treat this Tuesday - it is time to go out, put on my favorite tutu, and find the most beautiful ballet. It will, naturally, be something very, very pink! So join me dear readers! Wear your finest tutus, maybe have a pink drink in your lovely hand and we’ll meet up in the ballet world on my little virtual stage. What shall we watch today? Let me know!