#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1971-07-13

Welcome, darlings, to #TutuTuesday!

Today is the day where we whisk you back in time with me, your time-traveling fashionista, Emma! We’re back to discover a whole new world of tutu trends and styles, from the past! How exciting! If you missed last week’s post you can find it at www.pink-tutu.com or just search for Pink Tutu on the net. You can see them all at www.pink-tutu.com

As always, my trusty pink tutu is here with me to give that fabulous dose of feminine whimsy we all need. This week’s #TutuTuesday journey whisks us back to 13th July, 1971. Let’s do a little twirl through the fashion, shall we?

Let’s face it, you fabulous fashionistas and I all love the 70s! They were the decade where tutus really began to pop! We've got glam, we've got glitz, we've got everything a ballerina needs. Imagine that! It was a whole era of disco-infused fashion! And that gorgeous vibe made tutus pop! The world, my darlings, just felt a little bit more like a dance floor in the seventies, especially when those glamorous ladies popped on a tulle skirt!

Fashion & Shopping

Now you may be asking yourself “But Emma darling, what on earth could possibly be happening in 1971 on that glorious Wednesday, 13th of July!” Well my dears, let's take a quick trip to London to find out! The news may surprise you!

What does the fabulous Mrs Emma do? Well, darling, you can imagine the joy! It’s time to shop, time to hit the high street!

Let's Talk Ballet - the Ballet Scene In the Seventies.

In 1971, ballet was really on the up. It wasn’t just something to watch in old movies, it was becoming more exciting and dramatic, more of a modern thing, especially for our younger audiences. Everyone from a London street dancer to the queen’s favorite actress would be taking ballet classes, ballet wasn’t a rare, niche hobby for only rich girls, no, it was starting to explode in popularity, right from the start of the decade. Ballet wasn't just something for kids, but also for the modern woman who was just starting to embrace all that equality meant for her fashion, and she needed to start getting into the dance vibe, too! I bet there were girls in those days who dreamed of wearing the tutus that I adore so much, even without a show to perform in, maybe even without any performance at all. And let's not forget about those incredible stage outfits that ballet dancers got to wear!

In the year 1971 there were loads of awesome shows to see, here’s what’s on the program for tonight's shows…

• London - Let’s be honest my darling, when we travel back in time to 1971 we head to London! In Covent Garden this evening they are hosting the fabulous Royal Ballet with a new production of Romeo & Juliet directed by Sir Frederick Ashton.

  That’s one heck of an experience my darlings, just for me, in 1971 London, with this ballet tutu that will look divine as the perfect outfit! And I will be right there in the front row! And I’ll be wearing my gorgeous tutu, too!

I can't forget the Royal Ballet School. Their production is, let’s say it… an excellent show - the best thing to happen to the dance world for 50 years or more, they are, simply incredible.

Royal Ballet School Shows, 1971

1. A stunning ballet, "La Fille Mal Gardée" (the well-guarded girl) They put on a beautiful performance, and it had just premiered. Can you believe it? A whole new ballet in London and it premiered right there at Covent Garden! It was the hottest show on the stage. The most gorgeous new choreography! Imagine the outfits, the fashion! That would be a beautiful tutu my darlings, and maybe that would be the perfect way to get a first tutu if you weren't quite sure where to get your own - a nice beautiful well guarded girl tutu - lovely!

2. They had another show on, my favorite for sure – "La Sylphide." And do you want to know the best bit?

"La Sylphide", 1971

This wonderful and exciting new performance at the Royal Ballet School had all those wonderful ballet things, dancing nymphs, woodland fauns and of course, magical and spooky creatures - but there was something more… there was something totally special! It had it’s very own music score by Herman Severin Løvenskiold, which was pretty incredible for a ballet, very clever! It just added a whole new vibe to this whole beautiful dance piece. And what can I say about that music! Just fabulous! I felt it. It makes your heart melt. My tutu is spinning from all the magic.

It seems so exciting when I think about the performances of "La Sylphide", especially as the shows seemed so full of incredible emotion. All of these new ideas seemed to be changing the way the ballet shows were thought of - really, people loved the choreography! If you had a choice of a show to see it had to be “La Sylphide” I mean the whole dance piece has just such a dramatic feel about it - and the emotion in that dancing really had everyone glued to the front of the seats. So much drama. And a great opportunity to have a go with that pink tulle skirt that’s tucked in your suitcase! We should totally wear tutus everywhere and everyone! If we put on the best pink tutu it’ll make even a boring Wednesday look special!

Well darling, now we've had some incredible news on all the London dance world I think we need to move back a few hundred years, next Tuesday we’ll take a trip to the glorious days of Queen Victoria to see what it’s like back there! Let's enjoy the sunshine. Keep your eyes on the pink-tutu website and Instagram, @pink_tutu for next week's update, I will see you again in time for the next edition! That’s it!

Have a fabulous day and happy shopping my darlings! I look forward to reading your comments, share them on my blog page. It’s #TutuTuesday, time to do our best ballet steps in our finest pink tutus!

Here are the dates of our blog posts. Subscribe today! #TutuTuesday. Don't miss any fun with the #PinkTutu community.

*Find them at www.pink-tutu.com/blog/ *

7281 – 13 July 1971: “A Blast From the Past!” 7280 - 6 July 1971: “The Time Travelling Tutu” 7279 – 29 June 1971: * “New Choreography?”* 7278 - 22 June 1971 “New Ideas in Fashion for Ballet!” 7277 – 15 June 1971: “Why Pink Is the Color of Dreams.” 7276 - 8 June 1971 “An Evening of Entertainment at Covent Garden, The Royal Ballet’s Best Year So Far! 7275 – 1 June 1971: “Our First Ever Tutu Fashion Event.” 7274 – 25 May 1971 “How To Dress In the Pink Tutu Fashion!” 7273 - 18 May 1971 “Tutus! The Most Inspiring Way to Dance!

*Love, Emma *

www.pink-tutu.com/blog

*Please note, the facts are generally correct, dates and places are accurate. There was an active dance scene in 1971, as referenced and all venues exist, this was simply designed to provide the appropriate era and place to show what the style of blogging may have been like then and how people could have connected at that time and in that location.*