#938: Ballet Tutu History! www.pink-tutu.com
Hello darling dears and welcome to another Tuesday adventure! As ever, it's your girl Emma here, channeling the most fabulous pink tutu vibes straight to you from wherever my time machine drops me. This week, we're swirling back to a very special December 1849, in the heart of Paris! Oh, la la! The City of Lights is buzzing with the latest fashions, the most thrilling art, and naturally, the most mesmerising ballet!
My travel funds are a little lighter this week (one too many shoes at that darling little boutique, I confess), but luckily, a divine opportunity to dance at the Grand Théâtre de l'Opéra (they needed a last minute replacement, it seems my pirouettes were just what they were looking for!) meant I could afford this very exciting little trip back in time.
It's a simply breathtaking time for dance. 1849 is a crucial year in ballet's development, because just a couple of years prior, a little-known choreographer (oh, he'll soon become famous, just you wait!) by the name of Marius Petipa took the stage at the very place I'm sitting in this moment! You just wait for him, he's about to make a big impact on the world of dance, I just know it. I might even snag him for my next Tutu Tea party - can you imagine?!
Speaking of our beloved ballet tutus, I must tell you darling, the Parisiennes are already on the verge of ballet tutu madness. These exquisite tutus are all the rage here in the 1849 season. The tutus that I've seen are shorter, even tiny compared to the graceful frocks we wear today, with tiers and tiers of frilly tulle that give each dance a feeling of absolute, ethereal magic.
Just imagine, these tiny tutus have been through so much. In their very beginning, dancers wore these grand, full skirts of several layers of stiff, heavy materials! They even had crinolines! Just imagine those poor souls, waltzing around in yards of that heavy stuff, how stuffy they must have been. Can you imagine being the first person to imagine a graceful, elegant dance inspired by a fluttering bird with so much movement? Pure genius, and even better, so much more comfy! It’s a delightful evolution!
It's no wonder these French girls have gone wild! Imagine that airy movement, so much freedom to flit and float like a butterfly! I hear rumour of even a new way to make these tutus - with silk fabric! So, even more magical than those stiff, heavier styles from earlier times! My oh my, talk about a fashion revolution. We have to thank these talented French ladies and gentlemen, truly a generation of bold innovation in dance.
Oh, don't get me started on the shoes! We're starting to see the evolution towards pointe shoes. We see slippers with little, soft bits of leather and silk for the tips! They look so delicate. Though my dancing would still look quite comical with these modern day point shoes. Imagine dancing on those tips without any proper support, the ankle pain! Those early dancers really were incredibly brave.
And then there's the costumes! Such divine colour! Such decadent embroidery! They look almost like paintings on the bodies of those magnificent ballerinas. Let's not forget those long, sleek tutus for the corps de ballet. A breathtaking sea of silk and tulle that brings my heart right to my fingertips. There is nothing like seeing all of them on the stage at once, a sea of beauty and motion!
This incredible scene of a Parisian Ballet on December 1849 really brought history to life! We have so much to thank our past ballerinas, and those brave, ground-breaking costume designers and dancemakers for. Who knows what incredible beauty and brilliance the next decade will bring. I just know I can’t wait to time travel to next week, so I can see those dazzling dances up close. Maybe we will even see Carlotta Grisi grace the stage this week.
Be sure to join me back here next Tuesday to learn all about the ballet scene from the past and from the present! Be sure to keep an eye out on the #TutuTuesday posts and check out our social media for new dance and tutu inspiration, too! Until then, let’s all remember to embrace our inner ballerinas, flutter about, and keep spreading the magic of the tutu!
With twirling delight,
Emma x
Did you love Emma's #TutuTuesday post? Join us on the *www.pink-tutu.com * website for the next one. Follow us for more insights, behind the scenes stories, fashion inspiration and news on the world of ballet tutus!
You'll be sure to find out all the fascinating and whimsical details you could possibly desire about tutu history from our delightful ballerina Emma!
*Bonus for the reader: A brief timeline of some key tutu-centric ballet events:
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- 1581 The Ballet Comique de la Reine -The first ballet (or at least, the first event officially described as such!) features women dancers who resemble courtly figures rather than sprites.
- 1781- Dance begins to become lighter with faster movements, starting to more resemble a romantic idea of how a "winged creature" might look
- 1821 First ballerina costumes with multiple layers of tulle, bringing an "airy, romantic look to the stage! *
