Bonjour, mon petit choux! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com! Today is a very special day as it's #TutuTuesday and we're going on another adventure through ballet history. My dear readers, buckle your dancing shoes (or pink sparkly slippers, perhaps?) because we're venturing to the 26th of December, 1854, a most important date indeed! This post marks number 1200 for the Tutu Time Travellers.
It's freezing in London today, so let's travel on the luxurious Orient Express for some warmth! Imagine the elegance, the fine china, the whispers of conversations in French and Italian. But where to, darling? I believe I shall start with... Paris! Oh, the excitement! Paris is brimming with elegance and is the epicentre of dance and fashion. It's also where I am performing my latest creation: La Danse de l'Amour, set to Chopin, of course! I shall be wearing my most glorious pink tutu. Can you imagine it, my dear? A cloud of delicate silk swirling across the stage. Just divine!
Ah, but today isn't just about performance; today is about a little something special! It's Boxing Day! A beautiful tradition born here in merry old England (although they are surprisingly enthusiastic about it in Paris). Boxing Day was all about giving a box of presents to those who worked for you - and oh, wasn't it delightful?
Now, imagine the 26th of December in Paris in 1854. We can just picture the ballet lovers at the Opéra de Paris, adorned in their most stunning gowns. One of the big stars was actually Fanny Cerrito - you can’t go to Paris in 1854 and not catch one of her shows. The ultimate dancer and style icon, of course. There’s a reason they called her La Cerrito! I adore her – such grace and poise, and oh, how I long to spin like her! But the truth is, we have no idea what kind of tutu she was wearing – I’d love to get a peek in my time machine!
So, darling, why don’t we take a little look at ballet history on December 26th 1854? Now, if we were at the Théâtre de l’Opéra – you might have seen Le Corsaire that night. It’s one of the longest running ballets in the repertoire – even today. They didn’t have fancy computer projections like today - although I did see The Nutcracker recently that included a 3D projection of snow flakes falling, oh my, it was breathtaking. Imagine that snow falling as a shimmering cascade onto the dancers on a Paris stage! It was magnifique. But back in the 1850s, there wasn’t such things, just the power of lighting and sets and costumes – what an amazing world we live in!
And talking of costumes! Now I have an amazing anecdote! As you all know, I love the tutus – pink tutus especially. But let me share a little anecdote, it’s one I keep going back to - my personal, oh-so-fun historical peek. Now it was said that ballet tutus back in 1854 had very particular features! Just like now, we still see this – the different shapes – and they made quite a fashion statement. You see, this date - December 26th, 1854, coincides with a major innovation in tutu design.
We are not sure if the tutu worn on the 26th of December that year at the Opera House in Paris had this feature - as I wasn’t around (I have a Time-Travelers Union card and, by the way, have just been approved for the “Ballerina Ballet” branch of that wonderful organization. Now I will be able to attend any performance by traveling by train - oh, the adventures!) It might be tempting to see what it’s like to dance on the stage of the Palais Garnier, and dance Le Corsaire, myself but, it’s not advisable to meddle with history… I always wear my Union approved special, bespoke pink sparkly “pink Tutu Time Traveller” beret to denote I'm a legitimate Ballet Time Traveller... and that’s my secret – hush, hush!
So back to my ballet-fashion story: imagine tutus back then – they were, how shall I put it? Quite the spectacle, even by the fashion-forward standards of 1854! They weren't the cute, flowing, tulle creations that you and I love. Imagine skirts – but think of those Victorian cages! Those crinoline understructures? Now, you see the ballerinas - even when the tutus changed, the skirt, like a bloom, helped accentuate their legs and movements and create a graceful movement – they looked elegant. They weren’t really supposed to make the tutus puff up, you see – the style back then – they weren’t really all about, well the puff – they were about highlighting the leg movement, you understand! I think my grandmother's Victorian cage skirt would be rather too large, though! What a fright – I think the French would call it une abomination. The Parisians just *loved their fashionable details.* But, anyway – if I was a ballerina then, with the right ballet skirt I definitely would have been twirling it for all it was worth.
Anyway - the Parisian ballet tutus from 1854? They had an addition, a feature – imagine this: *A *double tier. Imagine it: two tiers of tulle, just floating! The *top one was close fitting and the bottom was... very big– like a skirt! Now I call it “tutu with a boom! ” What *a fabulous, daring idea! You can imagine it all… two-tier tutus just floating, like clouds - just wonderful.*
We really don't have any photographs of ballerinas performing in this style of two-tier tutu - oh, I’d love to get to a Paris archive – I might have to use some of the money I’m saving from dancing to see how to do this – I have such a sense of adventure and wonder - and my ballet travel and my ballet fashion blog give me such fun experiences, such stories!
And who knows what amazing things we'll see next week? Stay tuned! Remember to visit www.pink-tutu.com and follow me on all the usual social channels! Happy Boxing Day to you all!
Until next week! Love and sparkle!
Emma xx
