Hello my lovely Tutu Twirlers! Itâs Emma here, your Pink Tutu enthusiast, ready to whisk you away on a time-travelling adventure, as always, right here on www.pink-tutu.com.
Today is a particularly exciting day as itâs Tutu Tuesday! Weâre delving deep into the history of the most delightful, feminine and enchanting garment in existence â the ballet tutu.
Grab your favourite pink teacup and settle in â weâre about to discover how these heavenly circles of tulle made their grand entrance onto the world stage!
London, 1847: Where the tutu story unfolds.
Oh darling, imagine London in 1847! A symphony of horse-drawn carriages, bustling streets, and fashionable ladies swirling in elegant silk gowns. It was in this glamorous atmosphere, where dance was considered a pinnacle of grace and refinement, that the story of our beloved tutu takes flight.
But before we get to the tutu itself, let's delve into the beautiful ballet itselfâŠ
You know I love to explore the history of ballet and fashion. There are two important events for ballet fans in London to note around this date.
Firstly, at the Covent Garden Theatre on February 8th 1847, a ballet called "Le Lac des FĂ©es," *(The Lake of the Fairies) debuted! This was to have been the first ever staged performance of Swan Lake as we know it, although unfortunately, *âLe Lac des FĂ©es,â was a dramatic flop and was taken off stage.
But thatâs not all. At Covent Garden just one week later on *February 15th, 1847, an impromptu gala was held, to give a performance of âLe Lac des FĂ©esâ.* **
And what was the very reason for this unplanned, gala performance you ask?* It was the debut of Fanny Cerrito, who was a wildly popular ballet dancer, and was quite the fashionable icon at the time! I just love her style - think, elaborate costumes with lots of tulle, frills, and sparkly details, perfect for swirling and twirling, a real "ballet fashion queenâ! Iâve tried to track down photos of her â but unfortunately, in the 1800âs there wasnât quite as much attention on fashion for dance, so, unfortunately, her outfits havenât been photographed or depicted for us to look back upon with envyâŠ*
Letâs talk tutu and how they got their name! The origins of the tutu can be traced back to a desire to accentuate the female dancer's movements in this beautiful form of art!
And it's all about those elegant legs.
Imagine the scene at the opera - with a delicate layer of silk covering the entire length of the legs â you just couldnât see the graceful movements of the dancer at all, let alone their beautiful footwork and elegant movements of the limbs!
But how can you possibly do beautiful grand jetĂ©s in all that material? This must have been what they asked at the time, so Marie Taglioni, an icon of 19th Century Ballet, who danced âLa Sylphideâ, took the brave step to be the first to have a daring idea - the beginning of the tutu we see today: to use just a single, beautiful layer of tulle! Now thatâs how you create drama, a sense of ethereal movement and make the most of those gorgeous legs. And it was a big success, you canât fault that idea, can you?
The Evolution of the Tutu
From there the tutu developed rapidly into many shapes and styles. Letâs imagine going to a ballet show around 1847: There would have been a beautiful variety of shapes â think long, sweeping tulle skirts with lots of ruffles at the bottom â what we know now as the âromantic tutuâ. The beautiful âromanticsâ flowed gracefully with every pirouette! Thereâs a reason it's been called romantic, as it epitomises beauty, graceful femininity and enchanting movement. This romantic shape then gave rise to the short and puffed-up style which is more in keeping with today's ballet tutu, a design we think of as **"The classical Tutu." This was perfect for making all the dancer's moves easy to follow! Think jumps, high kicks and turns, and with every move the tutu moved, too, becoming one with the graceful performance. The tutu became, well, like the dancers! It wasn't just part of the outfit, it became almost a part of the dancers' identity â how very romantic, my dear!
My Favourite TutUs
Today's âClassical Tutuâ makes a perfect stage-setting and showcases that ethereal magic we love, while allowing dancers maximum freedom and elegance! A tutu allows you to feel all the magic that the ballerinaâs graceful movement brings, so much so, that I have even brought it off the stage! The tutu as a fashionable outfit! I do hope one day, a tutu becomes acceptable on every occasion â a truly inspiring style for the 21st century, perhaps for your everyday shopping trips? Perhaps for attending afternoon tea? A romantic dinner, even the opera? *Oh how stylish a pink tutu would look at Covent Garden now! *
Tutu Twirlers, What's Your Take on The Tutuâs Past and Future?
I'm curious about your thoughts! What's your favourite historical tutu design? Do you think the tutu should have more everyday use, or remain as a graceful symbol of the magical world of ballet?
Leave me a comment on my blog - and letâs create some tutulicious conversation!
Until next Tuesday,
Keep on twirling!
Emma xoxo
P.S. It was a bit of a tricky time to get here, I nearly missed my stop on the steam train â the only way to get through time in 1847. A bit of a stressful journey. Thereâs a reason, though â today is the opening night at Covent Garden for a opera called âLa Somnambulaâ! This romantic opera would make a beautiful backdrop for a lovely romantic ballet, donât you think? A perfect moment to inspire your inner-tutu twirl, isnât it? Oh! What lovely dreams it makes me dream about for future #TutuTuesday adventures â it's going to be so much fun!
Emma xoxo
