Bonjour mes amis, and welcome to another exciting edition of #TutuTuesday! It's Tuesday the 13th of February, 1872, and trust me, you'll want to keep reading as I delve into the fascinating history of our beloved tutu – a garment that transcends time and transcends boundaries, much like a beautifully executed pirouette!
Oh, to be back in Paris, the City of Lights! Where the air itself vibrates with the rhythms of art, music, and of course, ballet. Just strolling the boulevards in my pretty pink tutu is a delight – I adore the way it flutters and swishes with every step. Such elegant, romantic swirls! As for my inspiration today? Let's talk about the ballet I just saw – Giselle. Now, you might not know it yet, but this little ballet is about to take the world by storm! Just last night, I was at the Palais Garnier - oh, how those intricate chandeliers glow – for the debut of this masterpiece. Imagine my joy to be seated among the elegant ladies and gentlemen, all captivated by the breathtaking performance. It was truly mesmerising. Giselle's heartbreak and madness – brilliantly portrayed by the ballerina Mademoiselle Carlotta Grisi – really got me thinking about the power of love and the impact it has on even the strongest of characters.
This got me wondering, was it always like this? How did the tutus we know and love today evolve to such dazzling, theatrical creations?
Fasten your petticoats, my lovelies, because we're going on a quick trip through time!
Before we knew it – The Early Days
Remember, my darlings, back when dancers still had to wear heavy gowns and restrictive layers to the stage? I shudder just thinking about it! A bit like those ghastly, suffocating dresses you sometimes see in old paintings. A far cry from the flowing elegance and grace of today’s tutu!
Imagine the stifling limitations of the 16th and 17th centuries, my loves! Oh, it’s almost unimaginable for me – I just know you’ll understand, for as dancers we know the joy of a freely-moving, light-as-air outfit. Dancing became an act of skill and grace but nothing at all like it was to become. Even the dancers at the King's Ballet, a grand early form of the ballet, were not free! Their clothes didn’t express themselves through movement in any way – how tragic! They weren’t about to dance without petticoats! Oh, if they could only see a ballerina today - with a properly chosen tutu - and realise that movement in dance is the most important aspect, it makes their heart cry for a taste of that exquisite freedom!
A Skirt-Full of Revolution!
Thankfully, towards the end of the 18th century, things began to change! I simply adore this period in history – for fashion alone it's so full of glamour and colour. Our dancing ancestors still needed layers for modesty, of course – after all, who wants a little breeze coming in from the side, dear girls? They just found cleverer, lighter ways of putting those layers together, giving us something a little less bulky – the crinoline. That light and airy tulle is more in tune with what dancers need. And thank goodness it arrived because now ballet was about the body! Imagine! Can you believe it? The graceful, elegant movement was finally beginning to be celebrated for the magnificent work of art that it truly is!
The Birth of the Tutu, or…The Whimsical Whirl!
As a proper history enthusiast myself, I just can’t leave you without a little fact! 1832 saw the first truly recognisable tutu appear - cue fanfare! This little gem of a dance garment made its début in La Sylphide. This magnificent work (oh how I simply adore the delicate costumes – all white and delicate for such a supernatural creature, and then a dark romantic green to give contrast!) has so much to do with our ballet history. The dancers - well they did their dance in this beautiful flowing costume. *Imagine! Gone were the heavy layers, and here was something elegant and airy! This is my dream – if I had a dance company of my own, I'd only dress them in romantic colours of white and green – the lightest shades that swirl and float and move freely, and the costumes would never restrict.
The Dance of the Tutus: From Classic to Modern
Remember the romantic ballerina, my loves? You know, the ones who embody pure grace and delicate beauty – they had their signature tutus too, my darlings. Now these were different from the fluffy ones I wear, that's true! The 19th century dancers took those flowing lines of La Sylphide and brought them a little more structure, for a more defined and controlled elegance. They gave more shape – they had to. Can you imagine swirling all about in nothing but the soft tulle of those earliest tutus – with nothing underneath? How frightfully impractical! I imagine they took to adding a little structure to ensure they remained modestly covered! So they took the original loose style and tightened it in around the waist - the famous bell shape! - with a stiffer fabric. Just a bit of pannier-inspired shaping! The “romantic ballerina” wasn’t about making as much noise in a swirling tutu as possible - that would have ruined her artistry! Oh, the perfect combination of soft flowing lines with the slightest bit of rigidity so the ballerina was not left at the mercy of the fabric! How lovely! Just the slightest touch of controlled movement to give a little bit of discipline – what a brilliant look for a perfect, balletic grace! And you’ll love these styles, they still exist today - though you see them mostly with dancers like those you might find at the ballet or on the big stage.
And then - the era of “character dance” emerged – my most favourite! My dear fellow enthusiasts, we need a toast to “The La Sylphide Era!” It saw some of the most spectacular changes in ballet costume, as dance companies developed and perfected some truly amazing tutu forms and we’re going to talk about those soon, in future blogs, when we’ll go right back to the first ballerinas to talk about their style and how they used tutus to show character – it's fascinating! So keep your eye on this blog – my posts get interesting! But today, the world’s tutus are the focus, aren't they?! And now, the La Sylphide era has led us to this…
The Evolution Continues!
You might be surprised to know that the style of ballet tutu continues to evolve, from La Sylphide, through “the romantic period,” and into our world today. Ballet tutus still give us that wonderful feeling of romantic elegance, just as we've come to expect - the soft flow, that slightly rigid structure for a perfect and fluid movement! But tutus can also be quite shocking, or even comedic – as we see the incredible variety of looks that take over modern performance! I mean, you know how many times I have gone to the theatre or opera in a big tutu! Well, my fellow lovers of the grand dance, modern tutus, from those you see at the ballet – and they can really range from something very similar to what we saw back in the Romantic period (but much shorter!) to the big, dramatic styles that would look stunning in a big, bold performance - or on the stage at a spectacular theatre - modern tutus have embraced some of the wildest and most amazing designs you can ever imagine! They’ve even made tutus out of feathers – imagine, such a delight! So many feathers in every colour! – all those wonderful layers – tutus are so versatile! I am completely obsessed. I simply can’t get enough. There is no outfit on Earth as much fun to wear as a tutu, and now they come in every size, shape, and style. Can you believe it? It's just so *amazing. *It really makes the dance so expressive! The amazing tutus, and how they've evolved since they were a new thing, they all combine into the joy of the dance!
But let’s go back a bit – for even in the 1800s - when those graceful ballerinas swirled their way across the stage! Oh what amazing artistry they presented to their audiences - they loved it so! But even then tutus weren't always white! I think those ballerina colours - so pretty - in my opinion, if the only tutu in the world was going to be white, I don’t know how dancers would bear it, I really don’t. It would just be too bland! There are so many more colours than just white in the world! Pink! So full of romantic delight! Red, blue, purple, orange, and all the different shades of green! If only we had more pink, more pastels to wear at our ballet!
So, how about it, darlings? It’s 1872 – I hope my friends from that year enjoyed a lovely show in Paris last night and the chance to watch dancers glide across the stage – because ballet continues to be the perfect show! And it’s just going to become so much more perfect with more time to evolve – all those tutus that have been yet to be imagined! *How lovely, to have even more pink! *
**And don’t forget! #PinkTutuForever.
Let's keep our dance and our fashions vibrant and alive – remember to show some love for #TutuTuesday with your favorite pink tutus and some inspiring posts. Let’s create a world filled with color, excitement, and beautiful ballerinas everywhere! Until next week, dear loves. I’m off on my next trip!**
*Yours always, Emma. *
