Hello lovelies, and welcome back to another #TutuTuesday! It's me, Emma, your friendly neighbourhood pink-tutu-clad time traveller. This week, we're going on a dazzling journey back to the glorious year 1922! Buckle up, because we're going to be whisked back to a time when the world was just beginning to feel the exciting breeze of modern dance and when, oh when, tutus were still just the stuff of dreams.
Now, before we take the magical train ride to the past, let's gather up our little ballerina skirts. Imagine: A flurry of fabric, the swish of layers, the delightful tulle - Ah, the excitement! This is a period in history before the tutu truly reached its full potential, you see, and it's our mission this week to understand why that might be.
Remember to take notes darlings, because by the end of our little jaunt, you'll be brimming with exciting tutu trivia, which is, I’m sure, just what you want to hear!
London Calling!
The steam train pulls into Victoria station. London in 1922, and oh, how I do love a good vintage train journey! As I step onto the bustling platform, the air vibrates with a vibrant mix of engine smoke and the clatter of a city bursting with energy. This London is different, my lovelies, there’s something quite exciting, almost magical in the air, an unbridled enthusiasm about the future, a feeling of possibility. And yet, the fashions are not unlike today. The flapper era is just kicking off. The silhouettes are free-flowing, like billowing skirts! I can't resist a quick glance into a millinery shop window and just think about a pink feather boa as a fashion touch. But hold your horses, I must first discover what our wonderful ballet tutus are up to!
The Royal Ballet (still called the Royal Opera House) in 1922?
Imagine my disappointment darling. No, this isn't my beloved Covent Garden yet! My lovely tutus are not getting a proper look-in in London. It’s true that at this time, The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is performing ballets – like, wow, they're even performing ‘Giselle’. And for that, I am SO jealous - Giselle is a gorgeous ballet, the music is spectacular, but it’s mostly being performed by ballerinas who are… dressed… oh, this is what they wear in 1922 – they’re all dressed in classical tutus. What does that mean? Well, let’s just say it isn't the tulle delight I’d like it to be.
They’re made with silk and layered with more fabric than I like, giving them a big, bulky, not so floaty look. They’re certainly beautiful, very ornate, and made in silk fabrics that look super pretty, but they’re really, truly more of a skirt. And a long, heavily layered one!
For now, though, my tutus aren't making an appearance in this period - which is why I need to travel elsewhere. The most exciting news in 1922, my darling, is that it’s time to get to America. I’m looking forward to seeing the tutus used at the newly established American Ballet School.
*Off to America in my fabulous pink tutu… *
Let's head for New York and the wonders of the ballet there! The New York City Ballet is being established in 1922, my lovelies - oh what exciting possibilities that brings with it. There's still some time before the tutus in the city reach the dizzying heights they would go on to experience, but for a tutu enthusiast like me, it’s an absolute thrill! I love the journey!
You see, there are a lot of people in the world who don't get why a ballet tutu is a magical, inspiring, fabulous article of clothing, even just the idea of a tutu. In 1922, you need to know what to look for, the vision of tutus, a kind of magic…
*A *real tutu, darling, is like a dream... **
It's light as a feather. It's made of soft, ethereal tulle, with layers that swirl and move like the very essence of happiness, joy and pure, graceful fun. This is what I have in my mind, what I’m dreaming of, a perfect ballerina look. Oh, if I could only give the women of the American Ballet School a vision of the tutu... I might have to travel ahead a little in time...
So my dearies, in the spirit of pink tutus and the magical possibilities of ballet, let's look forward, with hope and enthusiasm! Maybe, maybe the modern tutu is just on the horizon in 1922... we have to dream!
Remember
As I prepare for my next journey - and my next #TutuTuesday post - let's just marvel, dear readers, at what’s coming in the future. A hundred years of breathtaking tulle are in our collective future, ready to transform the world into an enchanting ballet. It's all happening my lovely ballet dancers. The world needs more tutus! And maybe I have just the little pink one that would just perfectly make your outfit...
Until next week, happy twirling and much love.
Emma, x
* www.pink-tutu.com*
