Hello my fellow tutu lovers, and welcome back to another edition of Tutu Tuesday, brought to you live from yours truly, Emma!
This week, I'm taking a trip back in time – oh, don’t mind the steam, it’s just my trusty time travel contraption warming up – to March 13th, 1894! Now, I’ve always said, time travel is the best way to truly appreciate the evolution of the tutu! It’s like going on a shopping spree through centuries of fashion, and trust me, some of the finds are absolutely jaw-dropping!
And today, dear readers, I'm excited to share with you a peek into the world of ballet just a mere 130 years ago! Don’t worry, there’s no need to break out the smelling salts, as my tutu-clad travels to the Victorian era have not transported me to a world of gasp horrors corsets! We’ve come a long way since then! However, there’s a little more to be discovered than just fancy outfits and twirls…
You might think tutus are as old as ballet itself, right? Wrong! In 1894, the tutu as we know it hadn’t yet quite made its debut! Now, you might be saying, "But Emma, how can this be? What did the ballerinas wear?". It's a fair question, darling! And the answer? A most curious thing indeed – a long, flowing skirt with a train! They called it a tutu-like dress, but it’s far from the wispy, swirling garment that defines us modern dancers. I couldn't resist a little bit of a giggle when I first saw it. I imagined twirling like a majestic whirlwind only to be held back by these voluminous fabric wings, hindering my movements! But it was quite something. Imagine the grand spectacle it would have presented onstage!
You see, back in the 1890s, fashion was a different beast altogether. The fabric was thick, and the layers plentiful, resulting in quite the formidable outfit. This might have led to a bit of a predicament for the dancers! I can just imagine them needing extra training just to manage such elaborate attire. How many leaps could they even attempt?
Let’s not dwell too much on that! The real stars of 1894 were actually the women. We've come a long way, but it's always inspiring to appreciate the ballerinas who pushed boundaries with every graceful movement and leap! We’re all grateful to them! They were paving the way, showing us just what's possible within this world of elegance and power, and trust me, darling, it was certainly a spectacle!
One particular spectacle worth mentioning is the world premiere of 'The Nutcracker' at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg! Yes, you heard that right! In 1894, this magical story of Sugar Plum fairies and magical mice graced the stage for the first time, creating a lasting legacy for ballet history. Isn't that simply magical? You just can't talk about 1894 without acknowledging this legendary work of art. And this is a little sneak peak into what the time travel world offered me! I was right in the audience when those beautiful melodies and whimsical movements premiered! Just imagine how that must have been like!
It was a whole different world, darlings. The world of 1894 was abuzz with exciting energy - full of possibilities, just like a beautifully stitched and delicately designed pink tutu! From the tutu-like dresses to the iconic debut of The Nutcracker and those enchanting melodies… My visit to this historical period definitely had me falling head over heels with the beautiful grace and enchanting beauty of ballet!
And who knows what other surprises this era holds, waiting for me to discover on my next time travelling escapade? Well, I'm eager to find out and I'm certainly up for a ballet performance.
Until next time, stay twirly! And don’t forget – follow me on my travels on www.pink-tutu.com where I upload all my ballet musings, adventures and travels on every Tuesday in this here #TutuTuesday. Oh! And this is post 3246 so feel free to catch up on all the previous #TutuTuesday posts!
Au revoir! And Happy twirling.
