#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1922-08-08

Hello darlings, and welcome back to another #TutuTuesday on Pink-Tutu.com! Today marks post number 4728, which is a grand number for a grand topic – a trip back to the glorious 1920s to delve into the world of the ballet tutu!

As a time-traveling ballerina, I adore journeying back to the eras when tutus first captivated audiences, and what better place to start than right here, right now, in the heart of Parisian ballet! This very date, 8th August, 1922, was all about dancing in the city of lights. Oh, the excitement!

This afternoon, I watched a performance at the Opéra Garnier. Oh, what a spectacle! It wasn't just the exquisite choreography that captured my attention; the dancers looked absolutely divine in their tutus. These weren't the extravagant, tiered confections of later years, mind you, but beautifully structured, wispy affairs in soft tulle and chiffon. The silhouette was a vision of grace and femininity, showcasing the athleticism of the dancers to perfection.

Imagine, dear readers, a tutu so lightweight that it allows for breathtaking movements, flowing through the air with the ease of a butterfly's wings. There was a romanticism in those early designs, a delicate air that reflected the ideals of the era. You can just picture the delicate hand-stitched details, each tiny stitch adding to the overall effect.

And the colour! Imagine, shades of cream, pale peach, and, of course, that oh-so-elegant blush pink, dancing under the spotlight. I must confess, there's a touch of whimsy to be found in the 1920s tutus, like a whisper of the Art Deco movement, an elegant line hinting at the exciting new decade that was soon to unfold.

I had a lovely time shopping for some treasures in the vintage markets afterwards – imagine my delight at finding a delicate ivory silk fan and a string of pearls that could have graced the neck of a 1920s ballet star! It truly brought back the elegance of those bygone days. And naturally, my own wardrobe had to reflect the fashion of the day. My latest find was a delectable blush pink silk slip dress which is positively dreamy with my signature tutu over the top. I have a new obsession with wearing these kinds of 1920s and 1930s styles. You can look so chic! It truly shows how timeless elegance never goes out of fashion.

So, as I enjoy the warm French evening, surrounded by the charming architecture of Paris, let's take a little peek at the evolution of the ballet tutu in this magical time.

Believe it or not, the ballerina’s tutu, with its billowing, tiered skirts, evolved over centuries of artistic experimentation!

Before we get to the dazzling tutus of the 1920s, let's whisk ourselves back to the mid-1800s. Back then, ballerinas, especially at the renowned Paris Opéra, wore "the Roman" – a costume that resembled a long, flowing Grecian robe. Imagine a silhouette that flowed and cascaded with each turn, emphasizing graceful movement and effortless fluidity!

The true ancestor of the tutu was called the “tutu a la Polaire”, named for the French actress and singer, Polaire, who made it famous. She first wore this tutu in her musical “Parisian Life,” but it gained immense popularity when the legendary ballerina, Anna Pavlova, embraced this form in 1910. The tutu à la Polaire resembled a short, puffed skirt with a smooth bodice, and was still somewhat reminiscent of a flowing, ethereal dress.

However, this “Polaire” style was a precursor to the now familiar “Romantic” tutu we associate with the great ballerinas of the late 1800s and the 1900s.

Think Marie Taglioni, the queen of the Romantic era, whose graceful steps redefined what it meant to be a ballerina, in a stunning white tutu and the "first" pointe shoes! The Romantic tutu had a longer, tulle skirt, a soft bodice and beautiful layers that looked just like a fluffy cloud - it certainly helped ballerinas fly!

And speaking of flying, remember La Sylphide – that most beautiful of Romantic ballets - its airy ethereal choreography played a major role in cementing the iconic form of the Romantic tutu.

The next stage in the tutu's development was the “Classical” tutu, born in the 1890s – an era often called the “Golden Age of Ballet” in Paris. Think the iconic dancer Anna Pavlova, her leaps and artistry inspiring awe in the heart of every ballet enthusiast, forever captured in pictures and footage in a beautifully designed Classical tutu! The skirt had even shorter, tightly gathered, layers, showcasing those elegant, strong legs, making the entire figure a marvel of balance, strength, and artistry!

These Classical tutus were much more revealing and streamlined than the voluminous Romantic ones and gave greater movement freedom. These dramatic shifts were inspired by changing dance styles as choreographers embraced movements that focused on dramatic leaps and powerful technique. The Classical tutu, which resembled a sort of fluffy pastry shell or inverted bowl of ruffles, came to embody this style and remained very popular until well into the 20th Century.

But just as fashions changed in other parts of life, the early 1900s also saw a bold shift in the tutu. This coincided with a blossoming new style of dance which favoured powerful athleticism, and which also began moving away from the traditional graceful "flow" of Romantic and Classical ballet.

The Russian Revolution, the rise of new schools of thought in dance, and a generation of extraordinary ballerinas all influenced the design and direction of the tutu as it embraced this new energy.

One particularly influential figure during this era was Serge Diaghilev. Diaghilev and his "Ballets Russes" took the world by storm with their innovative approach to ballet in the early 20th century. And so began the age of the Modern Tutu!

What made the "Ballets Russes" so groundbreaking? Their performances, with extraordinary dancers and dynamic costumes, infused a bold new perspective on dance and fashion. Think of the flamboyant, captivating, even whimsical, use of colour and texture in these groundbreaking dance works!

And the tutus? They underwent a dazzling transformation as a visual spectacle, a breathtaking fusion of fashion and the power of dance. The designs were bold, geometric and eye-catching, and a true statement about change! A departure from the familiar silhouette of the "classical" tutus! This new design of tutu went hand-in-hand with a dynamic style of dancing, full of athleticism, expressive gestures, and sometimes an edgy touch that felt both modern and glamorous.

Take a moment to think about these bold modern tutus in such extraordinary ballets like The Firebird, Scheherazade, and Cleopatra – their unique designs are woven into the very fabric of ballet's legacy.

Imagine – "The Firebird" a symphony of colours and movement captured in costumes like fiery phoenixes, with billowing, intricate designs, that truly captivated audiences.

Scheherazade, on the other hand, had an almost exotic elegance with a deep blue and white color scheme that resembled luxurious jewels and sparkling fabrics, the epitome of luxurious opulence, both in dancing and in costumes.

Or the costumes of "Cleopatra", full of grandeur and with opulent jeweled tones, both vibrant and shimmering!

I could wax lyrical all night about those glorious 1920s designs, and you can’t talk about this era of the ballet without mentioning The Ballet Russes, but I have more to say about those designs in a future post – trust me!

Now, what set this new era of "modern" ballet tutus apart was the way these new creations were fashioned. In the late 1800s and the first half of the 20th Century, the traditional Romantic and Classical tutus were essentially sewn together in two separate pieces – a bodice and the tutu’s main fabric or skirt part.

However, by the 1920s, designers found a novel approach by sewing the bodice into a complete skirt, giving it a dramatic new shape. You see, these earlier “Romantics” and *"Classics" * were, in essence, two separate pieces that needed to be pinned together before a ballerina could start her performance – quite a chore for a pre-performance routine, which in my time would be more about stretching and warming up, thank you very much. I couldn't possibly imagine doing that routine before I could hit the stage!

What's fascinating about those new designs of the 1920s and 1930s is that the fabric also took a new turn. Think lightweight, delicate fabrics in cotton and silk. Think vibrant colours like emerald green and azure blue alongside those romantic shades of blush pink and ivory that are so stylish. What a visual spectacle! Think of the elegant silhouette! This evolution of the tutu was revolutionary as it gave ballerinas greater movement freedom. What’s more, you could still see a great deal of emphasis on exquisite workmanship, which truly took the tutu design into a whole new creative domain!

As for that signature billowing effect, these new creations relied on an element of design called a "layered" or *"pleated" * skirt to create an extraordinary illusion of volume and drama, a style still favoured today. The “layered” and “pleated” skirts would typically have four to five layers of chiffon or tulle attached to each other. It would almost make a dancer’s legs and body feel invisible behind that volume and grandeur.

Think about the breathtaking spectacle of The Firebird's billowing tulle – these pleated styles added dynamism to every pirouette and dramatic gesture.

So, darling readers, as you’ve just discovered, the ballet tutu has not only come to epitomize the graceful spirit of ballet, it also serves as a stunning example of a garment's constant evolution. It's a canvas for innovation in both the world of dance and fashion, capturing trends of the moment, as well as timeless expressions of elegance and grace, always on the move – in every pirouette, jump, and arabesque, a symbol of beauty and an inspiration for us all.

And to you, dear readers, I hope this #TutuTuesday blog post has sparked a newfound appreciation for the ballets tutu. Its history is as fascinating and vibrant as the dance form itself.

Until next Tuesday, my sweet lovelies, remember, I am absolutely obsessed with getting everyone to wear pink tutus – just a little touch of pink to add magic to every single day. It's about more than fashion – it’s about the joy of embracing the power of ballet, in your own personal way!