Helloooo darlings! Welcome back to my #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History blog! I'm Emma, and I’m a huge fan of pink tutus. If I'm not at a ballet show, I'm usually buying another tutu for my ever-growing collection. (My fiancé thinks it's an addiction. Honestly, I think he's jealous. More on that later). I've always been a little obsessed with dance and tutus, and I figured, why not turn that into a little bit of fun! I hope my Tutu History posts inspire you to embrace the tutu in your lives!
Today, I'm taking a grand, luxurious trip back in time to 1883! We're stepping off the train at the railway station and hopping onto the next hansom cab to take us to a Parisian theatre. Imagine! Can you believe I get to be in 19th century Paris on a Tuesday? Well, it’s a little cheeky of me to time travel and make some cash on the side. A little bit of tutus and time travel has got to be my favourite combination.
If we're travelling back to 1883, we have to chat about tutus! Because, believe it or not, the ballerina was not yet dressed in the tulle we know today. Back then, they wore full-length skirts called tutu panier, basically large hooped, cylindrical cages, layered over silk and tulle, all made up to create a big full shape to make them appear larger on stage, which was essential before the modern ballet was born and developed its aesthetic. The romantic ballet style was a key factor in the transition to the full length tutu to a more modest shorter ballet dress for stage.
Let's think of fashion – in the 1880s, we see huge changes in women's wear, but remember, the Victorian Era's fashion standards dictated that anything with movement had to be disguised, even in ballet. With an abundance of silk fabrics, intricate embellishments, ruffles and sashes all to keep up with Victorian standards, the Victorian dancers wore very different attire compared to today. Think more big puffy ball gowns than twirling tutus. But the tutu panier became the iconic shape of the Victorian ballet world that took this trend into the following eras! The Victorian ladies were wearing bustles on the outside of their clothes! Think bustle gowns that could stand alone. Imagine, it wasn't until 1885 when the shape of the tutu panier started changing from a larger, round shape, and started slimming and shortening towards the legs to a more refined aesthetic.
Ballet in 1883It was just after French composer Jules Massenet completed his first ballet, La Cigale. It was a musical masterpiece with the traditional 3-act performance and was written in 1874. You could say Massenet has some of the best, most graceful compositions of any of his generation, so you can only imagine his masterpiece must have been magical to see in a Parisian ballet theatre.
On September 25th 1883, a young prodigy, a talented young female dancer, Olga Preobrajenskaya began a four-week tour around Paris and Germany and it was this young dancer that introduced ballet choreography for the Victorian audiences. She started with the famous Ballet Russe, and later was the ballerina for the great Ballets Russes that became a renowned worldwide company. Can you believe all those talented artists were from such humble beginnings? Now, just a little time traveling away, we can see some of them! How utterly charming.
If we are in 1883, then a real ballet tutu with tulle and layers wasn’t invented, and so, I’d just look utterly out of place in my big pink tutu. This would not go unnoticed, and we can’t let any unwanted gossip be part of my journey back through the Victorian time. So what’s the plan? To take a dip back in time and learn as much as I can about the time when tutus were nothing like today’s delicate frilly numbers, and when it all went so spectacularly wrong...
Oh my gosh! How lucky we are to have this tutu panier, a fully restored ballet dress that we will keep in our Parisian atelier - it's an heirloom from a dance shop just near the Garnier Opera House. In Paris, of course. Because that is exactly where we are right now! We can try this full skirt-like design on! And with our amazing full hairpiece to create a truly iconic style and big feathered headdress - so perfect for the dramatic theatre! It is utterly enchanting to know our iconic tutu panier from this era will eventually turn into the elegant silhouette of the modern dancer in just a few decades! What is this all about, how is it the transformation and the modern shape for ballet will evolve over the next couple of years?! Now this is where history is so very, very exciting. And how lovely it will be to look back on the early history of ballet and how all the incredible designers who have been at the forefront of its design development and have created those amazing costumes we are now wearing!
It will be very special for the young dancers of today who are going to grow up in this age where the ballerina dresses with ease, grace and elegance, that they all had these tutu panier costumes as part of their ballet past - it makes such an important legacy of the world we know today and will pass into the future!
So what did the Victorians know that we are finding so glamorous and stylish and are seeing as the beginning of our ballet?
Well, what a journey back into a most interesting history of the world of dance and ballet. There are many years to look back at, all of which are very important for a new era in the evolution of the ballet dress. What is most special to see how many other fashion styles have been adopted by designers today who have added an extra touch of femininity and glamour!
Back to my life!So, darlings, that's the exciting story from 1883!
Until next week, I shall be planning a trip with my lovely family - We’re going to the ballet tomorrow night. We’re going to see my local Derby Theatre production, and yes, my mum and dad are very used to me buying myself a few more tutus - all thanks to those ballet shoes which have taken me on my amazing time traveling journey!
Love, Emma
xx
Please let me know if you'd like to add any specific historical events, locations, or fashion details to this blog post for this period!
