Hello, darlings! It's Emma here, back again for another enchanting Tuesday foray into the fascinating world of tutus! I’m off to a particularly splendid theatre in the heart of London this week to witness an absolutely breathtaking production of Swan Lake, but first, let’s travel back in time for another #TutuTuesday! This time, we're swirling through the cobblestone streets and lamplit gaslights of December 12th, 1854. Grab your teacup, your feather boa, and your fanciest dancing shoes! We’re about to go on an utterly glamorous journey.
I love the 1850s! It’s all about elegance and romanticism, and tutus were at the height of their theatrical fashion! You just cannot get over the ethereal beauty of them - swirling silk and shimmering satin in layers and layers of glorious fullness! The graceful, billowing shapes are truly captivating! This period was full of creative dance steps and a surge in dramatic story-telling, making these times absolutely captivating.
As you know, the tutu has always been the very heart and soul of the ballet! Before the mid-1800s, it was almost inconceivable that ballerinas would ever have been caught in anything but their floor-length skirts, making dance movements awkward and constraining. Thankfully, by the mid-19th century, skirts were finally shortening and those heavenly layers of tulle were starting to grace the stage, making the dances so much more graceful.
The Fairy Tale Begins
Our journey back in time starts in Paris. That captivating city! They’ve got so much going on – fashion, beauty, theatre, everything is so captivating, full of excitement. If you know me, you know I'm a sucker for the finer things in life! That's where our heroine is making waves in the world of dance, Marie Taglioni, the queen of tutus! With her iconic roles as La Sylphide and Giselle, she captivated the world and paved the way for a new era in dance – an era that’s all about the ballerina, with her captivating costumes!
Oh, darling! This iconic dancer is not just an absolute goddess of dance; she is a fashionista! She’s pushing boundaries, taking a firm stand on her love of tulle! Marie was so committed to freedom of movement! Imagine her waltzing gracefully, those beautiful skirts creating that dreamy swirling effect – like a graceful little cloud. Pure romance!
A Revolution in Style
You know how much I love history. Those earlier skirts - they just held those ballerinas back! They could hardly even jump and pirouette in such restrictive attire! It's no wonder ballerinas had to really train hard, focusing on tiny delicate steps, never lifting those beautiful legs into the air, and they couldn’t achieve such powerful movements!
The iconic short tutu, the kind we love and see today, was first brought into fashion by another absolutely extraordinary woman, a ballet master by the name of Marius Petipa. He worked alongside some of the best ballerinas of the 1850s and designed tutus that allowed them to truly shine, emphasizing those long beautiful lines!
Marius believed the ballerina was like a fragile and beautiful flower, blooming and twisting on stage, all while wearing their heavenly costume - absolutely breath-taking! The idea was that the skirt should be lighter than air, adding that sense of enchanting magic that is just so captivating! It’s those intricate layers, the delicate stitching that transforms them into art pieces and captures all that whimsical fairy magic that ballet has always been about. It just fills me with joy.
A Whirl of Inspiration
This all meant, darling, that dancers had to develop completely new skills! Imagine learning to lift those delicate limbs with grace and strength – and they also learned to pirouette with precision and style! No longer would they simply glide gracefully on stage, now they could perform spectacular jumps, spins and those beautifully graceful kicks and flicks! And it’s just so fascinating to see the way those dances and choreographies developed as they freed their feet, their legs and their bodies from all those cumbersome layers! The sheer delight is reflected in the performances – so light and so free!
This exciting evolution just swept everyone up! It changed the world of ballet and made tutus a huge part of what ballet stands for. The change was really remarkable – an unforgettable event. It also meant ballet became accessible to everyone in London – a big reason why I think these performances remain a huge spectacle for the city and attract everyone, even to this day!
You could see dancers wearing a variety of different styles of tutus by the late 1850s! But whether it was a romantic and ethereal waltz or a more energetic and fiery dance, there was a particular style for every situation, every ballet! It was an unforgettable time of innovation and it was just brilliant to witness the joy it brought to the audiences and to see how much fun dancers had on stage.
The Power of the Pink
It’s also around this time I would encourage you to notice a whole new surge of colours! The world was just starting to discover pink, that enchanting and absolutely elegant shade, which captured that new feminine grace on stage. Imagine the blush-pink shades with ribbons of satin! There is something absolutely beautiful and captivating about that soft pink that represents all the wonder, sweetness and magical beauty in those delicate tutus, and what’s so magical about it, it is that it brings out the feminine mystique within each of us – and what could be better than that, darling! We’ve always said pink was our colour.
Time Traveling Tutu Travels
Back in Derbyshire, a ballet class at our school started this month! I am actually off on the train to visit some of the ballet companies that are based in Derbyshire in order to see how ballet is thriving there now! And you know me, when I travel by train, I’ll be rocking a fabulous pink tutu – it’s my passion and a tribute to the ballerinas of this beautiful period! But I know when I return to London I have a few very stylish shops I want to visit to pick up some stunning accessories to help add to the glamour. There's a whole lot of history and heritage surrounding all those pretty pink pieces that capture my heart!
Today's Enchantment
Today marks the very same day when the world was mesmerised by the world premiere of the opera La Traviata by Verdi – an absolutely spectacular performance and the kind of opera that I can’t wait to see. Imagine that beautiful spectacle with an entire stage of pink tutus! I can already picture how absolutely divine the colours would look in this timeless story, one that would simply captivate audiences – a timeless treasure.
Today was also an utterly exciting time to see London decked out in all its Victorian splendour, ready for the upcoming Christmas. The shopping streets are full of dazzling colours, the Christmas markets, and that special energy you only find during the festive season! This is really where the magic begins – Christmas lights, glittering window displays and delicious sweet scents just drifting through the air! And in just over two weeks’ time, London will be hosting the annual fancy dress party - the Masquerade! A night where every soul is welcome to come dressed to the nines and let their fantasies go wild – oh darling, it’s a truly delightful event. And that is just another reason to have all of us wear our absolute finest and our best pink tutu! That’s my mission – to bring pink tutus to all!
So here’s to the incredible magic of ballet tutus. It's truly been an absolutely unforgettable journey for me this week – with each new tutu I learn, there are countless others I'm just waiting to discover. Don’t forget, darling! Keep checking back here every Tuesday for my blog posts! You won't want to miss all the glamorous adventures we have in store! Until next Tuesday, have a week filled with twirling joy!
Always with you,
Emma
