Hello my lovely Tutu-loving friends! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet, dedicated to the gloriously twirly, divinely feminine tutu! Today, on this beautiful #TutuTuesday, we're travelling back in time to August 22nd, 1876 - oh, such a fantastic year for fashion and the arts! Buckle your shoes (and perhaps your tutus?) and join me on this exciting journey through time!
Now, you may be thinking "1876, Emma? Why then?" Well, darlings, 1876 was the year a most iconic ballerina, Madame Marie Taglioni, made her triumphant return to the stage in St Petersburg. Now, imagine the excitement! Everyone in the ballet world, and frankly everyone in the world, wanted to see Madame Taglioni perform! The entire ballet scene was abuzz with talk of the legendary "La Sylphide" - just the name was enough to send shivers down your spine and a happy twirl around the room.
St Petersburg in 1876 was truly the hub for everything ballet - just as exciting as Paris today! The beautiful theatre architecture, the opulent ballrooms, and the energy, the passion, oh the passion! All eyes were on the ballerinas. Those gorgeous tutus! All fluffy and frothy, each one more magnificent than the next! It was a time for big tutus, and my dears, did they twirl!
Think of it like this: today's contemporary dancers, with their sleek, modern dance wear, have such an elegant, clean-cut look. Back then, though, oh my dear, they had the chance to be truly dramatic. Those layers of tulle, the elaborate designs, the feathers - just the thought makes me want to break out my sewing kit and make a few hundred ruffles!
Speaking of those tutus, the ballerinas in St Petersburg in 1876 didn’t have just the one tutu for each performance! Can you imagine? Just as a modern ballerina might have an array of outfits for each dance style, the dancers in the 1870s had different tutus for each part. Some for the "grande jeté," others for the pirouette, oh, how fabulous! It was truly a spectacle, a ballet performance not just of technique, but also of pure, unadulterated artistic beauty.
Now, let’s go a bit deeper into this magical time. The famous Marius Petipa was a prominent choreographer then. He was already in St Petersburg, crafting spectacular ballets like "The Sleeping Beauty," the one we all dream of performing someday, darling. It was the era of incredible artistic brilliance and truly the dawn of something utterly wonderful in the world of ballet.
Remember, 1876 was a time when we all flocked to the opera, a time for romance and elegance. And who better embodies both those concepts than a ballerina? This wasn't just ballet; it was art, beauty, and something magical, something truly inspiring. Imagine yourself there, amongst the glittering gowns and elegant suits, in a sea of delicate ruffles, just ready to take flight with the dancers! Oh, it makes me long for a time machine... or perhaps a particularly fantastic travel agent who can arrange such journeys!
Of course, you don’t need a time machine to step into this glorious world of ballet, darling. Put on your best pink tutu, spin, twirl, feel the silk brush against your skin, and you'll be dancing with the spirits of those fabulous dancers from 1876! Let's not forget, our love for tutus, the fashion, the performance, it's all part of one grand tradition!
This has been such a thrilling trip to the past, isn’t it? Well, my dearest Tutu lovers, that's all for today, but stay tuned! Next Tuesday we will embark on another fascinating journey into the history of tutus - perhaps we will revisit Paris, or even peek into the glorious Victorian era?
And, of course, if you have a tutu-themed suggestion for a time we should visit, pop it into the comments below! I can't wait to hear from you!
Keep dancing, my loves!
Emma www.pink-tutu.com
