Hello darling tutus! Welcome back to www.pink-tutu.com! How lovely to see you!
Oh my gosh! Can you believe that today's date marks 154 years since I was able to pop off on another whirlwind journey through time to bring you another delicious tidbit of Ballet Tutu History? It’s just incredible!
Last week I took a quick jaunt back to 17th Century Paris, which was simply enchanting! And, darling, you just wouldn't believe the fab frocks and amazing bouffants in 17th Century Paris! My fellow time travellers will just have to check that out - It’s all on the blog – www.pink-tutu.com – you know! 😉 But enough about last week. Today's exciting topic is … Well, how could we not be excited by 19th-century tutus? We simply had to stop by on 27th April, 1869, a most fascinating and influential day for the history of ballet and our beloved tutus!
Today we are standing backstage at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, in the bustling, exciting city, a dazzling beacon of ballet and theatre in its golden age! It is a magical place, with so many fascinating people to meet and see - and I mean, a ballet dress shopping spree is on my to-do list for sure! You know I’m going to go all out on my fabulous wardrobe shopping while I'm here - wouldn't be caught dead in a dreary old drab tutu! That’s for sure, my lovelies.
Darling! Have you ever stopped and just thought about what the life of a ballet dancer back in the 19th century would have been like? The discipline, the training, the sacrifices – oh my, the sacrifices! It would not be easy! I mean just consider the weight of the voluminous fabrics - those heavy satins, layers of silk and tulle – It must have taken all the dancers' strength just to take those first few graceful steps. You just have to admire them. And imagine all the layers – the petticoats and corsets underneath… Well, let’s not dwell on the constrictions.
Today marks the debut of an innovative and groundbreaking ballet - ‘Le Roi de Paris’ - performed at the Imperial Theatres in St Petersburg, a truly fascinating piece!
Here’s a little story from the local paper (that’s actually how I found the date!) This fascinating play involved the Tsar Alexander the Second - now that’s some big time Royalty! I’m always intrigued by ballet history – it’s all fascinating. I imagine that a Tsar visiting the Bolshoi for a theatrical performance would make a spectacular spectacle.
There’s some lovely drama in the newspapers around the date of 27th April. There were protests and dissent in Russia and I've been doing a little bit of investigation into all of this. You see, darling, there’s nothing better to take my mind off of the weight of fashion and the pressure of this tutu world than researching the lives and stories behind all those people and those fascinating stories… But all I can really say about the protests and revolution and all of the chaos is that it all looks far, far less dramatic when you are a ballerina in a gorgeous ballet skirt! 😉 And I will be back in Derbyshire, back home before I even begin to have time to understand what those newspapers are talking about – you know that all my energy is spent dreaming about tutus and all things feminine and pink and graceful. But then again, that’s just what this blog is all about, so we shall get back to our exciting story of tutus!
Let’s be honest, those early tutus were a little uninspired, and rather frankly, pretty clunky. It wasn’t all flowing grace in those days… Well, just imagine - a large layered skirt worn with tights in a deep maroon hue, or perhaps a pale lavender colour, all topped with an elaborate decorative corset with perhaps an equally impressive ruff. I mean honestly… You must see those pics – that was simply ‘old fashioned’. Oh yes! – there are definitely photos of that era in the ‘old tutu archive' - a fascinating peek into what people wore. Now you must have a look! www.pink-tutu.com
In this time frame (1860 to 1900) the famous 'romantic era’ of the tutu was gaining ground, and in my opinion - for the better! Ballet, you see, my loves, has so much to do with the evolution of the tutu, in a constant back and forth exchange between how dancers perform and what their costumes are made of!
And you know, as far as ballet costumes in 1869 are concerned - that ‘tutu-morphosis' from cumbersome layers of fabric into the gorgeous flowy, feminine silhouettes we love today had begun! That's when the ‘tutu transformation’ began!
As ballet continued to progress, and ballet dancers began to experiment with new ways of moving their bodies – lighter fabrics and shorter, tighter-fitting skirts became increasingly important and necessary. In the 19th century, dancers wanted to move more freely, they wanted to be more agile and expressive. This brought about what we now know as the Romantic era, when dancing really did become a beautiful art form, with flowing steps and light graceful movement! This era is a favourite of mine, I love all the colours!
Can you imagine having such a significant impact on fashion as ballet had and still does, even today. Oh! The beauty of those dancing and spinning silhouettes and the sheer elegance of their movement, and now let's just think of how fabulous a dancer would look in a stunning shade of ‘pale blush pink' tulle… That really is my dream and my mission!
You know! The most important part about those original ‘Romantic-era' tutus was the dramatic silhouette, and they became shorter! That meant an end to cumbersome and stiff materials, an end to that ‘rigid look', and that allowed dancers to truly move gracefully, express their bodies and, and make beautiful shapes! Imagine, those romantic ballets – beautiful flowing movement – so free and dramatic, a real visual feast – And now with a beautiful pink ballet skirt, in an explosion of feminine movement? Well, a girl can dream! 😊
Those first true ‘romantic tutus’, in my favourite pale pinks and those luscious dusky rose hues … a tutu so full and layered, like a beautiful cloud and with a bit of extra weight so it fluttered with each beautiful swirl of a dance movement … Now, that’s romantic ballet – an era we can never tire of – so delicate and beautiful.
So here's to the evolution of the tutu and those pioneering ballet dancers of the past, all those wonderful 19th century dancers in those early tutus, making history - step by step!
Remember darling, fashion in all its forms is such a captivating story to tell, every twist and turn and evolution of every costume, and every style is so unique, it truly is magic.
The evolution of the tutu, however, is something very special and continues today – It’s my favourite subject – all this magical feminine history, but this week, we’ll get to see how that first romantic era continued. What happens next will be so surprising. Well darling, there is something exciting and romantic and fun to be found with every journey through the fascinating and magical world of tutus and ballet and that’s where I’ll be every week - so be sure to visit www.pink-tutu.com – we have so much to share.
See you next week lovelies! 😘 And for all you gorgeous followers – don’t forget – remember that “it’s always tutu time!”
