Hello my lovely readers! Emma here, your pink tutu-clad time-traveling ballerina from Derbyshire, back for another fabulous #TutuTuesday! Buckle up, darlings, because we're heading to the Parisian stage of 1897, where tutus are making hearts flutter, feet fly, and, let's face it, skirts practically take off!
(This is blog post #3393 on my www.pink-tutu.com blog. Join me every Tuesday for a little journey into the wonderful world of ballet and tutus.)
Today is 5th January, 1897, and oh darling, there’s so much excitement in the air. We’re in the midst of ‘la belle époque’ - a time of vibrant colour, art, and elegance, and what better way to express all that than a tutu, don’t you think? I feel so lucky to be transported here, a mere whisper away from all those wonderful ballet performances. And I am definitely getting ready for a Parisian adventure in pink!
Oh, if you haven't had a chance to experience Paris, darlings, I truly recommend it! The theatres are just teeming with life - the vibrant colours, the dramatic gestures, the passionate music. It's a sight to behold! And I'm pretty sure that by now, everyone’s heard of “The Swan Lake” which premiered just a few years ago in 1877, or have they? 🦢🩰
You know, I was in London just the other day, taking a ride on the very elegant railway to St Pancras Station! My goodness, wouldn’t you love to see the wonders of the new world from a railway window? If you have a spare minute, and it doesn't seem to be busy at work, have a go at finding your nearest station! Don’t forget to look sharp though, darling, the platforms can be quite busy at this time! 🚄
Now, let's talk tutus, darlings, my absolute passion! You’ll be pleased to know that 1897 is a time when tutus are really taking centre stage (quite literally, if you think about it!)
This romantic period really embraced the beauty of the ballet tutu and embraced those gorgeous tutus, making them as important to the ballets as the amazing choreography!
It was around this time when the traditional tutu, you know, the full length skirt that looks a bit like a layered wedding dress, began evolving into the form that we're so familiar with now - the Romantic tutu.
The Romantic tutu, darling, is so incredibly dreamy! Imagine: shorter skirts, a beautiful bodice that makes every turn of the head, and those incredibly detailed trimmings! The Romantic tutu was revolutionary, allowing ballerinas to express a new range of graceful, flowing movements. Oh, the grace, darling! 🩰
You might be surprised to learn that back in the day, the original tutu (not this fabulous new Romantic one, though), was actually a fairly practical garment. Dancers needed freedom of movement to pirouette and leap, and a long skirt was just, well, too restricting. Can you imagine performing a fouetté with your dress trailing behind you?
Oh, what would they have thought, darlings? To see all the modern ballet outfits they see these days?!
But by 1897, fashion had its way and the Romantic tutu, with all its graceful flow, its shimmering embellishments, was taking the world by storm! It was seen not just on the stage, darling, but also spilling out onto the streets! The women who wanted to appear like the dancers in “The Swan Lake”, “La Bayadère” or “The Nutcracker" - they all wore a ballet tutu to evening parties or fancy gatherings! I'm talking beautiful satins, elegant chiffons, with those pretty ballet bows on the side of the head. Just delightful. 💖
Did you know, dear readers, that around 1897 there were so many people enjoying the Ballet performances at the grand theaters of London, like the Covent Garden, and even the Paris Opera! The London stages, well, they are definitely bursting with ballerinas all twirling in their pretty pink tutus and showing everyone just how stunning their pirouettes really are! The crowds at every performance were just huge, with gentlemen and ladies all dressed up just to catch a glimpse of the graceful performances, darling! 💃
Honestly, it feels like all the newspapers were just buzzing with all the latest talk of the amazing dancers! You just have to keep a look out for the theatre gossip sections, if you're out and about reading a daily newspaper! It’s so lovely that people are getting so involved in this magnificent art, and tutus, are such a wonderful part of all the beauty, isn’t it?
Speaking of London! Let’s have a chat about some famous dancers in the UK. Madame Kathi (whose real name was Katti Lanner), oh my! You would have absolutely loved her!
Can you imagine her delicate features, and such exquisite poise as she moves across the stage with her absolutely elegant dancing, well, she really set hearts racing and left many in tears of awe, darling!
She really did make her audiences speechless! Imagine how lucky it must be to see her perform at the theatre, how absolutely delightful and breathtaking! You just know that even those with the best of dress senses would gasp, at her costumes and those wonderful swirling dances, darling! 🩰
Her dresses, of course, featured some of the most amazing tutu costumes ever made. The exquisite silk, the romantic styles, the delicate trimmings, they were simply the most breathtaking garments to wear. Honestly, they really set her dances off and gave her an incredible elegance, almost like she was flying with grace across the stage, darling! 🕊️
And it isn’t just the dancers themselves who have brought tutus to such attention. It is those amazing costumers and designers too! You just know that the costumer for the Bolshoi Theatre is going to create something absolutely wonderful, perhaps with a new sort of fabric? I can just picture her, a busy lady measuring, pinning, cutting, stitching, and adding the perfect layers to make all those dancers really stand out! 💃
The theatre shows are also featuring new types of tutu shapes and styles now! I feel so excited to get the chance to wear these wonderful clothes and perhaps get the chance to see how they look. Imagine the impact a single color has! If I am feeling happy then, pink is perfect for those gorgeous ballerina performances! The colors are just delightful! 💓
But it’s not all just pretty, darling, you see! The designers really make the dancers' movements pop!
For example, they understand that the use of fabric needs to flow and fall at the right time to get the absolute maximum grace from each movement of a dancer! Imagine a dancer gliding effortlessly across the stage! Oh, I think they all just love to be twirling in a pretty pink tutu, darling! 💗
Right, darling, you know my motto! Pink tutus for everyone! Just think about it - how utterly fabulous the world would look if we were all wearing tutus - whether you're doing ballet, out for a lovely picnic, or enjoying an afternoon of tea. And, don't get me started on the confidence boost! Oh my, just picture it, every one embracing a sense of grace, lightness, and elegance!
We could make it a world filled with pretty twirling - what’s more glamorous than that? 💃
That's all for today's #TutuTuesday! I hope you've enjoyed our trip back in time to see those fantastic Parisian tutus, darling! Remember to visit www.pink-tutu.com and find out what I’m up to and, of course, follow the amazing TutuTuesday journey! See you next week, and until then, may your twirls be graceful, your hearts filled with joy, and your days be as full of pink as a Parisian theatre! 💖
