Bonjour mes chères ballerinas! It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood tutu aficionado, back for another #TutuTuesday adventure into the history of the most magnificent garment ever created!
As always, I've hopped in my trusty time machine (don't ask - I've got some fancy friends!) and I'm here to bring you the latest and greatest in vintage tutu trends straight from the cobbled streets of Paris. Today, it's the 19th of March 1878, and let me tell you, the excitement in the air is positively electric.
The Opéra Garnier is the place to be, the dazzling jewel of Parisian architecture, a theatre for the ages! The world is on its toes - literally - because today, the legendary Anna Pavlova, still just a fledgling ballerina in her early twenties, is starring in "La Source", one of my absolute favourites. You know me, always drawn to a good romantic ballet!
Pavlova was known for her incredibly light and ethereal movement - I imagine she was an absolute joy to watch! A bit like watching a wisp of smoke on a summer breeze. The way the light catches her white silk tutu, billowing like a delicate cloud, it's simply magic! And her grace, darling? Unbelievable! It's moments like this, with ballerinas like Pavlova, that truly cement the tutu as a symbol of artistry and female power!
But before I get too carried away with the breathtaking beauty of today's ballet performance, let's delve deeper into the tutu's history. Because this isn't just any Tuesday, darling. This is a milestone Tuesday, a momentous day where a major ballet breakthrough is about to change the world of dance forever.
You see, the tutus we admire today, with their wispy layers of tulle and airy grace, weren't always the way they are. You can blame the early Roman era, where the origins of dance, particularly ballet, began! Now, back in the Roman times, their "tutues", as we like to call them, were simply short tunics. Nothing like the airy garments we have today. You can't even picture the glorious billow of the tutu of the modern era, those were just straight pieces of clothing. I shudder at the thought.
Then, in the 16th century, along came Catherine de Medici and brought with her a bit of that Italian Renaissance flair, introducing courtly dances and elaborate costumes. We can say a massive thank you to her for the glorious beginning of courtly ballet and formal attire, my dears! Now we're talking! But the costumes were still bulky. They had those big skirts, almost like panniers, a very different aesthetic compared to what we see in ballet today! But hey, you need those layers if you are dancing in palaces for queens and kings. And a lot of layers help create the feeling of royalty and grandeur which goes a long way to creating a grand ambiance!
Over the years, ballet began to shift towards lighter, airier costumes, thanks to the influence of choreographers and dancers like Carlotta Grisi who started a fashion revolution.
Carlotta Grisi, a magnificent ballerina in her own right, paved the way for us, a little bird like she was - and all this before the introduction of The 'Romantic Ballet Period"! She became one of the first dancers to be credited with the move to those short-waisted tutus that are the ones we have become accustomed to today. The "Romantic Ballet Period", which I just mentioned, ran through 1830-1860, but its effects can be seen on modern ballets even to this day. During that time, dancers wanted to appear more graceful and lighter. Those heavier costumes were out, they began to replace those bulky costumes with *skirts of tulle and * silk ! Can you imagine how magical this was? Finally a light and elegant silhouette.
And now, we fast forward to today, 1878 and we have the magical rise of Anna Pavlova! And those amazing tutus. And how wonderful that, because Anna Pavlova danced en pointe, those tutus were shorter! Think about it. That made the movements more apparent, they could spin and leap with such grace! These shorter tutus showed how much skill and grace it took. Can you imagine all those grand jetes and chassé movements happening in a long dress? No, you need that extra leg movement - all that fabulous length of leg - for those dance moves to shine, darling!
But just because Pavlova* embraced the *shortened tutu, that doesn't mean all ballet went that way. We all still know of the Romantic Period Tutu, right? You see it all the time in "Swan Lake", a grand ballet, even when we have this "shortened" version of the tutu, we are always going to have that Romantic tutu for when it calls for it, it will always remain a vital piece of dance history.
Well, that's a wrap for this week's #TutuTuesday History! I'm off to watch a show here in the glorious Parisian theatres! If you are heading out this week for a show or class, don't forget your lovely tutu, and remember, it's never too late to learn! Who knows, you may find yourself starring in the opera one day, with a glorious billowing tutu that enchants everyone who lays eyes upon you. Until next week darling - Keep it fashionable and stay tuned for my adventures from 19th Century Paris, to the 1800s Victorian London and all the other time periods I plan to get into. Just follow #TutuTuesday - You know I love me a bit of a good travel journey by train, even if it is just in the realm of imagination!
