#801: A Little Bit of Parisian Magic: May 4th, 1847
Oh darling, I just know you’re all going to be enraptured with this week's #TutuTuesday! We're hopping on the train to the city of lights, Paris, to discover the history of the ballet tutu! You know me, I'm a firm believer that every day is a tutu day, but this journey will show how this iconic garment came to be!
(Excuse me for a moment while I twirl excitedly… aah, it’s just so thrilling! You see, this tutu stuff isn't just about frills and fluff… it's about history, about movement, about the magic of dance!)
So, imagine a cobblestone Parisian street, with bustling crowds and carriages jostling for space. The air buzzes with the chatter of people going about their day, and if you follow the sound of soft, lyrical music… why, you've just found the Theatre de l'Opera. And it is here, nestled within this grand edifice of art, that we find our first glimpse of the tutu as we know it.
But hold your horses, darlings! This isn’t some full-blown fluffy dream like the tutus we see today. The ballerina's silhouette is more demure, graceful, and restrained, the skirts clinging close to their delicate bodies, still flowing in delicate lines with each pirouette. You see, the mid 1840s was a time of transition, where ballet was moving from the grand, formal ballet d’action (where the narrative took precedence) to the Romantic ballet, a much more expressive form, one that sought to capture the emotions of the dancers. And those emotions needed to be expressed physically!
This change is reflected in the changing silhouette of the dancer. Those restrictive gowns, like those worn by the actresses in French comedies (who can forget that feathered bustle, eh?) weren't letting dancers explore their full potential! The dancers themselves needed freedom. Enter the romantic tutu.
We can trace it back to Marie Taglioni’s groundbreaking performance of La Sylphide in 1832. The ethereal, romantic, almost fairy-like tale, needed a different kind of look. This groundbreaking ballet called for something more effortless. The tulle of the dress moved and swirled, making Taglioni’s body look weightless and the choreography become truly ethereal.
We can truly say, darling, that this was the start of our pink-tutu-dream, well, perhaps more white back then… but let’s not quibble about details! The revolution of the romantic tutu! It started, if you will, with a simple whisper. This whisper was soon joined by other dancers. This revolution gave us freedom of expression, gave dancers the opportunity to tell a story with every jump and leap.
Now, this May 4th, 1847, was actually a special date for our lovely Marie. We can imagine her in a lovely pink-tinged (just imagine, a touch of pink! ) skirt (maybe a hint of fluff, but still modest - after all, it is 1847!). This date marked her farewell performance after she returned to her home city of Stockholm, from her ballet career in France. It’s just heartbreaking! Imagine! Oh well, this is the story of the ballet and the dancer, both constantly in motion!
(A sigh…. I am lost in this world of tutu-ing!)
*But this is just the *start of the tutu story! This was the year of a huge artistic development in ballet and with this new aesthetic, a whole new stage for tutus! In our next Tutu Tuesday post, we’ll hop on that train once again (London anyone?), we’ll see how this revolution took hold across the continent, making its way to the world…and well, it may involve a very particular little sugarplum who’s going to completely redefine the world of the ballet… **
I must away! Time is slipping! And I have a certain pink tulle ensemble that needs a proper twirl…
Until next week darlings… be sure to leave your favourite pink-tutu tips in the comments!**
#TutuTuesday #ballet #fashion #history #pink #pinktutu #paris #dance #twirl #travel #derbyshire #Emma’sBlog
