Dearest readers!
It’s Emma here, your resident pink tutu-wearing, time-travelling ballerina. As you all know, it's Tuesday, which means it's time for our weekly dive into the captivating history of the tutu. This week, I'm taking us back to 7th April 1846, to a date which saw the tutu take a major leap in the world of dance, much like the pirouette that inspired this very post!
As usual, my time machine is a tad temperamental, and I haven't quite got it to the stage where I can just click a button and travel, so my journey this week required a slightly more involved method – an exceptionally charming railway carriage, with leather seats and that delightful scent of coal.
Oh, before I forget, a little bit about myself! I’m originally from Derbyshire, but I’m a little bit obsessed with fashion, shopping and tutus. I fund my time travel through performing ballet on stage, and in my free time, you can usually find me twirling through the streets or catching a new performance. Now, back to 1846, shall we?
Now, imagine stepping onto the stage at the Salle Le Peletier, the iconic Parisian Opera House, to a sea of expectant faces. Imagine a feeling of anticipation buzzing through the air. That was what my trip back to 1846 was like, and all because of the one and only Carlotta Grisi and her revolutionary "tutu".
We've covered Carlotta before on #TutuTuesday, (you can always catch up on the blog at www.pink-tutu.com, of course). Now, as any keen ballerinas will know, it was this superstar ballerina who dared to shorten the skirt, replacing the traditional, flowing, voluminous skirt of the romantic period with something daring and new – the "tutu".
You see, the classic 19th-century romantic ballet tutu, (we've got to get creative with naming them!) had layers and layers of tulle to create an impressive "floating on air" effect. Carlotta decided to chuck the tradition right out of the window! She felt constricted, and as any ballerina worth her salt will agree, freedom of movement is key! So, with her incredible dance, she made her way onto the stage on that 7th April 1846. She performed "La Fille du Danube", wearing a simple yet breathtaking single layer of tulle with delicate, graceful embroidery. A sheer delight to behold, and quite the scandal at the time, to be honest!
In fact, my time travel was such a whirl that I almost forgot, “La Fille du Danube" was such a smash hit, a ballet of a woman's love story – what we would probably call a tear-jerker now, with elements of passion, war and of course a bit of tragedy thrown in. Oh, the drama! It inspired countless performances by many talented ballet companies for years to come, with that short little tutu taking the spotlight with every step!
But why was it such a big deal? Well, the 1840s were a fascinating period for women's fashion, the Victorian era - where, like, so much of women's clothing had restrictions and long layers, almost as if it was trying to hide the body. Then, along comes Carlotta! This beautiful dancer takes the stage in a barely-there dress (or should I say, tutu!), a glimpse of what could be possible for dance, and perhaps even, fashion itself. Her look was bold and modern and gave ballerinas the chance to show their graceful, agile movements - just like I’m trying to do with these fabulous time travel blog posts, which will, I have no doubt, become classics!
You know what? You are all more than welcome to go and see La Fille du Danube, it is still performed even now. I highly recommend it. But be warned, it might make you feel all romantic and want to don a beautiful, fluffy pink tutu, and trust me, no one ever regretted buying one of those!
Anyway, the point of all this is to show how revolutionary the ballerina tutu has always been. Carlotta's simple, flowing tutu has shaped not only dance fashion, but how we see dancers and even the way women dress all around the world.
That brings us to the end of this week’s #TutuTuesday blog, which is also another journey of the incredible story behind this wonderful garment. Now, I must go! There’s a dance audition waiting for me, but remember, my darlings, embrace your inner ballerina and don't forget: Pink is the ultimate colour for a tutu!
See you next Tuesday!
