Hello, my darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu, your weekly dose of all things tutu-licious! This week, for my #TutuTuesday blog, I’ve whisked us all back in time – via my trusty time-travelling trunk, of course – to the 14th of July, 1891. We’re right in the heart of Paris, that city of lights and romance! (And, let’s be honest, impeccable fashion! )
This date holds a special place in the world of ballet – not just because of its beautiful, summery feel but because we can trace the development of the iconic tutu to a very particular point in time: the year 1891, when the pas de deux was brought to its peak!
It’s just an ordinary Tuesday morning here in Paris, but there's a delicious buzz in the air – that exciting sense of anticipation that precedes a spectacular performance. And in just a few short hours, the world will be witness to the brilliance of the Paris Opera Ballet at the Palais Garnier. I’m in my usual pre-show rush, excitedly dashing around my Parisian hotel room – yes, a Parisian hotel room! Ooh la la! The only problem is, this Parisian room is considerably smaller than my London apartment, but you can’t have it all, can you?
Anyway, I digress… This particular performance is the premiere of "La Esmeralda," a ballet by Marius Petipa, which has me positively beside myself. I've heard such whispers of its magnificence: the dancing, the story, the costumes! The tutus! Oh, the tutus!
I'm so excited to finally see for myself how these remarkable ballerinas will grace the stage! I can’t imagine how they are going to perform, looking that exquisite!
This time travel isn't just about catching up on all things tutus - it's a chance to soak up the vibrant energy of Paris in this golden age. I'm currently sitting on a balcony, sipping delicious Parisian coffee while watching street artists work their magic with sidewalk chalk, my gaze tracing the movement of their coloured chalk, a precursor to the ballet movement I'm going to enjoy later! It’s positively captivating, just like the tutus I see everywhere I look! Oh, this time period, so beautifully full of romanticism! And did I mention the dresses are just *fabulous!
As I indulge in a slice of heavenly chocolate mousse (well, someone has to make it up to the fashionably conscious for all that pre-ballet practice! 😉 ), let’s rewind the clock to see just how these tutus arrived on the stage:
From Bustles to Ballerinas:
In the 19th century, fashion was all about grandeur, drama, and an overwhelming amount of fabric. Imagine, my darlings, full-length skirts that were absolutely enormous thanks to the infamous bustle! They even made our modern-day 'puffy dress' styles look quite restrained! Of course, these designs weren’t ideal for dancing. Ballerinas would have tripped, spun out of control, or ended up tangled in yards and yards of silk. Oh, what a terrible ballet show that would have been! Not good! I would never want to see that, ever!
Thankfully, the ballet world responded, bringing in an era of streamlined elegance. This began in the early 1800s when, gasp, the ballerina’s skirt became shortened to just below the knees! What a bold move! I love how progressive and confident these women were in how they were presenting themselves and their skills to the world.
And so, the ballet skirt started evolving. But in the early days of pas de deux, the skirt remained relatively heavy and layered. But, darling, it wasn’t even a tutu! It was still much longer and hampered the dancer’s freedom of movement! This must have been terribly limiting! It must have been so incredibly hot wearing all those layers too – we never have to deal with that – tutus are so light and airy, and perfectly cooling, which is one of the most important factors of wearing a tutu! The lighter, the better! I would never want to be hot, I’d have my trusty handheld fan right next to me at all times!
Thankfully, innovation in the fashion world stepped up and brought the world its first 'real' tutu!
The rise of ‘La Danse’ - this stunning, ethereal form of dance - demanded a more flexible, fluid design. This brings us back to 1891 and to our exquisite, captivating performance of ‘La Esmeralda’ which is an embodiment of elegance, beauty and breathtakingly talented, exquisite ballerinas.
Remember my blog posts back in February and March about the incredible ballerinas of this time: Fanny Elssler, Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi and Lucile Grahn? Their artistry made audiences swoon! This ballet, ‘La Esmeralda,’ marks a milestone for the pas de deux in this era - It is THE ballet! The absolute height of excellence! This performance embodies what has become the golden standard for all ballerinas throughout the decades! The perfect pas de deux, graceful, expressive, magical - what else can I say? Well, except, this era in ballet history was the best ever!
These incredible ballerinas have inspired, and continue to inspire every generation since! From their performances to their beautiful and revolutionary tutumeets, they really took control! And if you really want to step back into this captivating period of la belle époque, all you have to do is take a peek at these incredible ballerina's gorgeous, flowing gowns! They embody an era, which still inspires every aspect of our society today! From fashion, to literature and everything in between. Even ballet - and the tutu, that is - is indebted to this gorgeous period! We all can thank these pioneers of beauty and innovation.
Tutu Takes Flight!
For those of you wondering: what exactly makes a tutu different? Well, my lovelies, there's magic in the details, believe me!
Tutus come in many beautiful, flattering styles, and it’s important to note, are so easy to wear. For instance: the ‘romantic tutu’ - very popular in this particular ballet- and 'the pancake tutu,' which we might even see today! Oh, I can’t wait to go out for a show tonight - what are you wearing for a beautiful night at the ballet, darlings? Oh, this will be such a fantastic evening - there is something for everyone here at this beautiful Parisian Theatre - which is simply magical - I just adore theatre history - its so much more than a theatre building, it's full of a thousand amazing stories of performances!
But let's back to the real stars of the show, my lovely tutus!
The difference is not only in length but the lightness! This makes them so comfortable and airy - and let’s face it - so much more versatile than a bouffant (as our French friends call it!) and that old-fashioned bustle! Just think, if ballerinas had to be trapped in all those layers, we wouldn’t see such beautiful grace!
Tutumeets really have become the emblem of dance, femininity and elegant artistry – not to mention their fabulous visual impact, my dears, and how breathtaking they look on stage! You know I can’t resist!
Tutus: A Timeline of Grace:
I've had so many amazing experiences while I’ve been traveling and doing my #TutuTuesday Blog. These adventures have allowed me to visit so many beautiful places across the globe - from a stunning Russian opera theatre - all the way to the majestic Paris Opera Ballet. From each amazing experience I have learnt how the tutu has really evolved through time. Oh, you wouldn’t believe it, it all started way back in the 17th century!
Here are a few points on tutu evolution I thought were quite important - it will help you to appreciate this essential aspect of dance history:
*The 1700s: * Imagine this – ballerinas were wearing voluminous gowns that actually got shorter throughout the 18th Century. Talk about style and revolutionizing beauty - it seems that all these years ago, they weren’t so different from our lives! I just love it! I wish I could go back in time and see for myself, even just for an hour!
*The 1800s: * You could really feel a change in the style of ballerinas and what they were wearing - skirts shortened a little – and I don’t mean mini-skirts! - these were elegant skirts just below the knees! This meant they could be so much more agile! Oh my, how much the ballet was evolving, just so I can understand it in more detail – I could so imagine this happening!
*1840: The tutu we know and love: * A design that really changed the face of dance forever – I always feel such a pang of inspiration, like my tutus come to life when I think about the innovation that took place. The revolutionary idea to give the skirt that bell-shaped ‘tutelle’ (meaning “to guard” - because the shorter skirt ‘guarded’ the dancers, giving them free movement!) style – can you imagine!
1870-1890s: These decades were filled with some incredible ‘Tutu Milestones’– the first time a tutu design became truly a tour de force! The tutu continued to become shorter and was now worn at knee level, which truly elevated its beautiful flowing elegance and movement. This era also made way for the ‘Romantic Tutu’ and we really saw a new kind of dance! This was an era full of such talent!*
This beautiful style is absolutely magical – it's so breathtaking to look at - and its structure provides a fantastic flow to movements as well. It's almost like a second skin, giving dancers a completely new dimension of fluidity – so beautiful to see. And yes, the pas de deux, that dramatic dance between a ballerina and a male dancer, that was * born out of this creative revolution – you could say this was *the start of an era of incredible dancing. And who doesn’t adore ballet’s beauty and talent! I’ve even noticed that designers are obsessed with that particular tutu silhouette - it’s incredibly flattering - so you will see many women who adore dancing and are so comfortable in the modern interpretations of the beautiful ‘Romantic tutu.’
You’ve got to see this historical trend in the stunning Parisian Opera Ballet tonight!
Well, that’s my darling blog readers, it's time for me to rush off – the carriages are almost here and I’ve just got to catch a glimpse of what that stage will look like - maybe we’ll get lucky and see a glimpse of some of the ballerina's new designs in the shop window outside - but I will leave it until after the ballet performance for that one! I just don't have time! So you’ll have to wait until tomorrow’s post to read all about what I * saw on this glorious Tuesday night at the Palais Garnier, darlings - a day of beauty and inspiring *Tutu Moments!
Until next time,
Emma xx
