Hello my darling dears! Welcome back to another exciting #TutuTuesday on pink-tutu.com! I'm Emma, your time-traveling tutu-obsessed blogger from Derbyshire, England!
Today's #TutuTuesday journey takes us back to 14th March 1905. Fancy a spot of time travel with me, dears? Climb aboard my trusty tutu-tastic time machine and prepare for a whirl through ballet history!
Oh my goodness, the air is thick with anticipation as I step onto the stage of the Opéra Garnier in Paris, and oh my, it is utterly stunning! There's a palpable electricity in the air, with a smattering of gaslight-lit boxes holding elegant gentlefolk dressed to the nines - and not a single mobile phone to be seen! It’s utterly thrilling. I've always loved the bustle and energy of Parisian theatre! I am absolutely giddy with excitement, because tonight I am witnessing the premiere of The Wedding of the Sun and Moon - oh, a real ballet treat, darling! It is quite spectacular. And let me tell you - the ballerinas are dressed in an array of glorious tutus that would make a modern dancer squeal with delight.
*(In fact, dears, did you know that *The Wedding of the Sun and Moon was an utterly spectacular dance work from the period? It has all the grandeur of The Sleeping Beauty, with lavish costumes and magnificent dance sequences - and we're getting so much inspiration for our pink tutu looks from it! ) *
Oh, it is so fab to see tutus take center stage. This period is the golden age for them.
*(What, *a golden age for tutus? What?! Don't tell me that my era could not possibly be the best for them! I know! You may think I am going to *utterly disagree, dear reader, but my blog has always been about positivity. So we shall not go down the rabbit hole of tutues-over-time. Instead let us concentrate on the lovely lovely ones we are going to look at in a minute. You can be assured my tutu is far superior... ).
Today's tutu-history post is all about Romantic Tutus. Think sweeping layers, delicate tulle, and romantic detailing.
(* Romantic tutus!!?? *How absolutely utterly, delightfully chic!)
*How Romantic Tutus Came to Be: *
Before Romantic tutus came to be, ballerinas, my darlings, would simply wear silk or satin skirts that did not allow much room for movement. This did not show off the *beautifully delicate art of *la danse that made my heart beat so fast.
Then the Romantic era came and… Well let’s have a word about this little word… ‘Romantic’. Romantic Era ballerinas loved all the dreamy flowing, whimsical styles. Imagine a ballerina in a delicate lace confection swirling around the stage.
*(Oh, to live back then!) *
Romantic ballet tutus took the theatrical world by storm when Giselle was performed in 1841!
(Oh how my heart leaps at the sound of Giselle. Oh to retire a beautiful ballet. Imagine all the rest one could do: travel the world, attend parties in fabulous clothes with interesting celebrities….and most of all: be seen in an abundance of the most glamorous tutus. What a dream!)
The story of Giselle takes us deep into a Romantic storyline * (and my goodness, is it all the more dreamy because it takes place in an area called the Rhine and that just gets me going, dear readers - all my grandparents come from the German Rhine). It was very daring for this time, to include this tragic tale in ballet. But in this romantic story* (in an amazing tour de force for romantic tutus!)* a beautiful * peasant* girl falls for a man. The audience just can’t enough! *(and, just for the record, the original choreography used so *very few, if any pirouettes as the Romantic style of dance was more like…well, dancing! ).
The Story of a Tutu:
To really understand tutus we have to understand ballet itself and the Romantic era. The ballet style of the time developed a delicate beauty, allowing ballerinas a grace and flow that the audience could barely keep up with (they literally ooh-ed* and aah-ed and the applause just *didn’t stop! Oh, I must experience this, but just a thought: can we *not allow the tutus of the period to be so plain! I know how much we all adore decoration. ).
Romantic ballerinas needed their costumes to give their dance movements an extraordinary range and amplitude – *the *longer and * more delicate * the tutus the more magical the effect – (you are almost imagining the ballet, my dear, and can feel it and the air of romantic enchantment!). *
To really understand a Romantic Tutu you need to look at how it is designed and how constructed. Romantic tutus were designed to allow for fluid movement, creating beautiful lines and fluid swirls. * A little tip from this little time traveler to you: they did not have panties on underneath.
*(Yes! I know I could get into the subject of *panty-lines today, dears, but I can promise you we will be looking into this tomorrow!)
The Romantic tutu was created with multiple layers of very thin tulle: layers upon layers and, yes even silk to give a beautiful, soft look, which makes the silhouette incredibly soft and feminine.*
(Ah, it all sounds so delightful… *Think *Princesses wearing their most elegant robes. What are your dreams? But don’t get ahead of me.)*
Romantic tutus, by necessity, came in white, the white of the Romantic era (what I would give for a bit more of the delicate and sophisticated color scheme of that era.. think of a pure, ethereal color: it can have any kind of sparkle... *the best tutus always reflect light. And, my dear, tulle is all about light!)
This period of time produced some of the most celebrated ballerinas. Romantic era dancers like Marie Taglioni - oh, what a marvel – * helped to create a * new style of ballet.* * (If you really need a perfect Romantic ballet dancer you cannot beat the divine *Marie Taglioni, * with *that face and those beautiful flowing limbs she would have swept any audience into a trance! )* The era also provided us with such *lovely * ballerina names as * Fanny Cerrito, * (and what an ethereal, Romantic, and graceful dancer... oh, those names!) *
* The Evolution of Romantic Tutus:*
So how did we get to these exquisite Romantic tutus, dears? The Tutu of The 18th Century * (I so want to tumble back there! ). You know what those looked like… (no, let’s be honest not beautiful!).* Those ballerinas just had one long skirt or a silk slip, * so restrictive! As dancers began to perform en pointe (which involved a dancer literally being on her tiptoes... imagine, to even do one on your tiptoes * for just a second? This really was *innovative! * and the skirts got shorter, to make those ballet steps, my dears * really* impressive. **
This change really changed everything.
Romantic tutus weren’t just beautiful. They made a revolutionary change to dance, it became more elegant, flowing, and exquisite.
But then in 1858…. well, everything changed once again, for a time * at least…. We were into the *Classic Period of ballet (how my heart beats when I hear that. Classical ballet will never be out of fashion!)*
It really was * the dawn of *classic tutu. And what does that look like?
Well. the tutus are shorter. ( oh! how very daring of them... I love it! I like a little more *leg on a tutu. There must be plenty of space for all those beautiful ballet moves... And, just think how the long Romantic tutu looks on stage... * *A wave of white as they perform all their moves. What will I ever choose? Perhaps I could have both! I would absolutely *love a dress that incorporated *a little bit of everything (a touch of Romantic and classic!). * * * So there we have it, the *history of Romantic Tutus. A brief (brief because this is not my time!) * tutu trip through time.
And *now * let me tell you: you must always make sure to wear the perfect accessories (perhaps some sparkly shoes or a beautiful necklace…) I like little tiaras, * so they can see the elegance of the dancer… (What would you like, my dears? )**
And finally … If you must ask, my beautiful tutus are from Paris.
Oh how lovely they are….I know that * my love of tutus* will never die.
Have you worn a tutu recently?
*P.S. I have lots of other interesting posts to come on the *Tutu *History of Dance, so come back here, dear dears and see us next Tuesday, my dears for another fabulous Tutu adventure * *! I’m hoping to find a tutu that reflects *all the periods * and is, in fact, * *so divine…it would * simply take the tutu world * by *storm, (imagine all the celebrities I *would have to see.. *oh, and perhaps I might even get the chance to show * it off!)*
Until next Tuesday - take a good look in your mirror… are you * tutu ready * to tutu go *
Emma
*Pink Tutu Blog * * *
