#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1844-10-01

Greetings, fellow twirling enthusiasts! Emma here, your pink tutu-clad time traveller, ready to transport you to a bygone era of billowing skirts and breathtaking ballets!

Today's journey takes us to 1st October, 1844, a date nestled snugly in the heart of the Victorian era. Fancy a trip to Paris? I know I do! Paris was and is, the centre of the dance universe. As always, fashion and dance go hand in hand, a truly beautiful partnership that delights my sartorial soul. I'm so very much looking forward to my #TutuTuesday visit to Paris on this date!

So, let's journey back to this enchanting era, to the world of ballet, where delicate tutus spun and twirled under glittering chandeliers.

While today’s tutus are an essential part of a ballerina’s wardrobe, they weren't always so ubiquitous.

Back in the early days of ballet, dancers donned elaborate costumes resembling the voluminous gowns worn by the elite. However, as dance technique evolved, the need for freedom of movement became increasingly apparent. Enter the revolutionary tutus, a development that marked a turning point in the history of dance.

Let's look back in time - I know what you are thinking, "why 1844?"

Well, if we fast forward in our #TutuTuesday timeline we know that 1845 marks the year Marie Taglioni appeared on stage in the role of "La Sylphide" - wearing the very first real romantic ballet tutu in Paris! Think tulle, layered, floaty and pretty!

It was a huge fashion and dance hit. Imagine the gasp from the audience as they saw this light, elegant outfit that had just a tiny waist to hold it up. This truly revolutionised how we think of the dancer, now she looked as if she could float, jump and dance like an angel, not a clumsy lady trapped under her dress!

But, as you can see, our date for #TutuTuesday is 1844. Now you all know how important a single year can be in our history of the ballet tutu! The tutus in 1844 weren't yet the airy and romantic creations that would grace Taglioni's figure a mere year later. They were still evolving from their full-skirted antecedents, still retaining some elements of the earlier more voluminous designs.

This earlier version of the tutus in 1844, can still be seen as the fore runner to the ultimate iconic ballerina tutu of Marie Taglioni! The dance world had its eye on this, it was happening in Paris - in the 1840s and it wouldn’t be long until dancers were all demanding this new romantic tutu and its lightness

Now picture this, a ballerina dancing with more ease and elegance than ever before. Gone were the restrictive and cumbersome gowns; a new, romantic era had dawned! It was an evolution, with its soft fabric clinging and then floating away around a ballerina, who now looks graceful and elegant, ready to fly across the stage. It would just take one, and one year, before that evolution became a classic and a defining outfit!

As I walk down the street in my favourite tutu today - its hard to imagine a ballet without them, but that really was not long ago! I must admit, that even I - a devotee of all things tutu, was very excited by what was to come. In fact I can’t wait to time-travel back to see Marie Taglioni’s debut.

I adore Paris! Not only for its fashion and food but because, in the mid 19th century, Paris became the international capital of ballet!

Imagine! In a city bustling with the latest fashions, I will be able to wander past beautiful boutiques, and browse all the newest boutiques and even pick up the very first tutus made for this brand new trend, Then, I can see how the Parisian ladies are enjoying their leisure activities. Maybe I'll catch a fashionable gathering - but as ever, it has to be one of refined elegance, one where my pink tutu will be sure to be a big hit!

And for my next #TutuTuesday Blog post, it's Paris. So what shall I explore on my journey? The latest fashions of the elite? I wonder what Marie Taglioni’s favorite dress shops were - and is her outfit going to be something she has commissioned to make the first ‘romantic’ tutu or will she pick up an example of one in a shop! I can’t wait!

Of course, what can I not leave out of Paris, except the most incredible ballet performances? In the days after October 1st 1844, it is here that a ballerina called Marie Taglioni would wear the most beautiful ‘romantic’ tutu ever seen - in a piece by a Danish Choreographer called "La Sylphide". The story and the music, together with Marie Taglioni's magical ballet made this tutu famous all over Europe - not just Paris, so that by 1845, the era of the ballet tutu had truly begun! It was the height of Romanticism. So the whole dance world has to be getting ready to celebrate what the rest of the world will be seeing in Paris.

That is why I will definitely be going to see "La Sylphide" while I'm in Paris - so maybe I will be there just in time for the opening night! My mind is reeling. What else could we see and do on the streets of Paris in 1844? What is going on on 1st October itself, so many years ago?

I’ll have to check the historical archives and newspapers from that day. As always I can only take with me what I can carry on a hand luggage, which means my suitcase is a pink travel tutu! I am so happy to get dressed for every #TutuTuesday travel date - I can't imagine my life without this blog - so please, join me next week, for #TutuTuesday, as I time travel to 1845 for the world’s first romantic tutu!

(Don't forget to check out the "Pink Tutu" website at www.pink-tutu.com for all your #TutuTuesday delights and for more time-travelled dance history adventures! We are posting weekly, on a Tuesday. I can’t wait to share it with you!)