#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1894-01-30

Bonjour mes chères! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet where all things pink and tutu reign supreme! This week on #TutuTuesday we're waltzing our way back in time, to the 30th of January, 1894. Fancy a trip in my time machine?

Now, picture this - we're in Paris, the very heart of the dance world. The city is buzzing with a theatrical energy, fuelled by whispers of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes that are soon to electrify the stage. The air is filled with the romanticism of a bygone era, all flowing gowns, elaborate hats, and the rustle of silk skirts. I can't help but wonder what I'd be wearing, right now in 1894...probably a pretty pastel pink, maybe some lace - but oh, wouldn't a flowing tutu be divine?

You see, my lovelies, the tutu's history is rich and nuanced - not a simple costume but a visual representation of change and artistic evolution. Today, I'm going to take us on a whirl through the Victorian era, when the tutu was beginning to really take shape. It all started with the "Romantic Ballet" of the early 1800s, with a focus on grace, fluidity, and light, ethereal movements. And what embodies those ideas better than a floating, airy tutu?

Before 1830, ballerinas wore the 'jupe-culottes' - a tight-fitting skirt which would've looked a bit like a modern-day miniskirt with a very stiff crinoline beneath, you can imagine what a challenge it must have been for such precise dancing. But it all changed with the arrival of Marie Taglioni - she’s known as one of the most iconic ballerinas of all time. She popularized a more free-flowing silhouette for dancers, and the ‘Romantic Ballet’ with a full tutu that really became synonymous with the ballet in 1839 when she performed La Sylphide in a beautiful, airy white gauze costume. That light, romantic style had the audience mesmerised and launched the era of ‘ballerina dancing’. It paved the way for what we know today.

And, oh my! This all started because ballerinas were struggling to move. In 1824 a dancer called Lucille Grahn wore a short skirt, or 'jupe' which gave more freedom of movement and made her movements faster.

And from 1859 to the 1890s, there was a shift in what they wore, they were changing their costume with designs becoming more fitted and dramatic.

So as we head back in time to 1894, this era marks a sort of transition, a period of experimentation and new ideas that laid the foundation for the breathtaking, modern tutu we adore today. Imagine how wonderful it was, witnessing this shift - the tutus becoming shorter, with layered layers of netting creating even more dramatic volume and shapes for the dancer!

Now, on this date, back in 1894, if I was visiting Paris, I'd have been heading to the Palais Garnier, the grandest opera house of all. Picture it, with the most beautiful gilded detail you can imagine and plush red seats - imagine a grand, glittering ballroom! I might've caught a performance of Verdi's “Falstaff" which would have been playing this very day!

Even though I'm completely smitten with ballet, my heart still beats for opera, especially that heart-pounding, intense drama of Italian Opera. Imagine, the whole place buzzing with excitement, the opulent costumes, the beautiful arias – my imagination just won't stop!

I'm already planning a trip there this year. Imagine, touring that gorgeous, grand theatre - Paris has some of the most iconic theaters and I have to add it to my 'time travel' list - and seeing the best, most glamorous operas from that era. The world was truly on the edge of some truly iconic changes, with a shift towards the more complex and dramatic stories, and it makes my own stories so much richer knowing all of that happened before us.

But even though the allure of the Paris opera calls me, I know that the world is much bigger, and so is the journey of the tutu. And that's what we're here for, right, to celebrate it all! To discover those hidden stories behind every tulle and tulle-like garment, how the ballet changed forever, to be excited about its incredible future...because as you all know, my pink-loving, tutu-adorned heart believes the future is, of course, PINK. And the world will one day embrace its fabulousness. Just wait and see!

Of course, for all my tutus and travels, my biggest source of inspiration are you wonderful people! So keep sharing your favourite #TutuTuesday memories. Your love for all things ballet and tutu just makes my heart swell, you lot, you are the reason for all these words - and all the travels, in my little pink world.

So, don't forget to join me next week on #TutuTuesday! We'll continue to explore the colourful, ever-evolving world of ballet history together.

Now, time to whip up some pink frosting and let's continue our ballet dreams together!

A très belle semaine,

Emma, xx.

www.pink-tutu.com

• #TutuTuesday: The World of Ballet Costumes (Week 3239)

This post is part of a ongoing series. We go back in time each week in the ballet tutu world - find us on social media with @pink-tutu - and tag us with your favorite #TutuTuesday. Let's celebrate the dance history together!