Hiya darlings! Welcome back to another delightful delve into the glorious history of tutus! It's your favourite pink-loving, tutu-obsessed ballerina blogger, Emma, here, and today we're taking a train ride back in time to 5th May 1941. As always, my darling tutus and I are ready to shimmy and shake our way through the pages of history. Let’s go!
Now, you know I’m always talking about the gorgeous evolution of tutus – the romantic tutus of the 1800s, the elegant Romantic tutus of the late 19th Century, the sassy whimsical tutus of the early 20th century. But in this case, 5th May 1941, the world wasn't quite so interested in fluffy skirts. The world was in the thick of World War II. I'm not going to lie, darling, it was a rather grim period for the world and the arts, with resources tight and anxieties high. Yet, the spirit of dance lived on!
But even though the world wasn't dancing in a carefree flurry of tulle, that doesn't mean the world of ballet was quiet. In fact, 5th May 1941 marks a rather interesting day in ballet history! Remember I mentioned, a few weeks ago, how our darling ballet tutu evolved into the lovely form we know and love?
Tutu Transformation
On this very day, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, that fabulous and legendary venue for ballet, unveiled a new look for the legendary ballet, 'Swan Lake'. They debuted brand-new costumes, designed by the legendary Ms. Galina Sokolova. Can you imagine the buzz? Now, you and I know the traditional swan costumes are iconic – graceful, dreamy, and quintessentially beautiful.
But, 1941 saw a bit of a modernist update to the 'Swan Lake' tutus. You might say, 'but Emma, modern tutus? That doesn’t sound so vintage!’. It’s true that the tutu has been constantly evolving since that very day. That 'Swan Lake' production incorporated new, shorter designs in the first act, making the tutus look more modern. Can you imagine the shock to some ballet purists back then?
The truth is, you see, dear readers, tutus have always been evolving with the times. Sometimes it’s an subtle evolution. It might be the little changes in how the bodice sits, the delicate movement of a fabric, or the playful pattern of tulle.
Think about those beautiful early tutus we see in romantic ballerinas. They’re all flowing, long, romantic, and almost dream-like. And, even when the tutu changed to the more iconic, short-skirt look of the ballerina tutus of the later 1800s and early 1900s, that beautiful dreamy look didn’t vanish. The skirt stayed elegant, graceful, but now became even more fun and sassy!
It was during those early decades of the 20th century, dear readers, that the tutu started to get those beautiful shorter skirts that make my tutu-loving heart leap with joy. The ballet tutus, even though they got shorter, kept their whimsical look. We all love a touch of the dramatic and a bit of flair!
What would we do without tutus, darlings? They truly are iconic and they embody the beauty of ballet!
Back in 1941, a big change was the design of the costumes that ballet dancers wore, to match the evolution of the tutus themselves! The famous ballerina, Ms. Olga Lepeshinskaya, danced the iconic "White Swan" in these new 'modern' tutus. This new ‘modern’ style brought new shapes and silhouettes to ballet. And who would have thought? Some designers even had the vision of making their tutu styles longer. They had the vision for dramatic flowy tulle and to this day you see these dramatic tutus. I love them, even though I love shorter tutus even more.
Think of how often we get new looks every season for the outfits we wear. Why wouldn’t tutus evolve? Even though 1941 may not have been the most fun time to be alive, tutus didn't take a break. They changed and they evolved, just like a swan might morph from its shy younger self into a magnificent graceful bird. It is why the history of ballet tutus is so important to me.
The tutu may have been through periods of evolution. Some people might prefer the old romantic look of earlier styles and think, “but darling Emma, why change something so lovely?” But darling, remember we’ve always said, fashion is never fixed, but ever changing! Our favourite tutus of today come in so many lovely forms and I can't help but be excited to see how the tutus of tomorrow will dance their way onto the stage!
Remember, darlings, even in the toughest of times, dance and beauty remain important in the world!
Pink Dreams
Now, I've got to get back to reality and back to my own daily adventures in tutus. But, until next time, dear readers, keep your hearts open to new designs, new ideas and all the magical beauty of the dance!
And don't forget... pink is the best color to wear, because, just like in a fairytale, dreams are always pink, too!
Till next time, keep it pink!
Emma
