Bonjour mes chéries! It's Emma here, your favourite tutu-wearing time traveller, ready to whisk you away on a trip back in time with this week's #TutuTuesday journey. Grab your best pink outfit and let's hop aboard the tutu-express, we're heading to 25th April, 1972!
Now, this was a very special year for ballet, darlings. Think flamboyant dance moves, bold costumes and the glorious era of the ‘ballet boom’ sweeping the world. Imagine me, a vision in pink, sipping on some English breakfast tea at The Ritz, taking in the sights of the West End in my frilly tulle delight - it’s a scene right out of a romantic ballet.
As I said, the 25th April of this year holds special meaning in ballet history because…well, nothing particularly remarkable happened. I think the whole ballet world was too busy celebrating the rise of Baryshnikov - what a captivating performer! And as usual, the Paris Opera Ballet was captivating audiences with a new production of Giselle and we all know how much I adore the graceful wisps and fluttering skirts of a Giselle tutu! Oh my goodness! It would have been such a dream to have seen that. And of course, all the fashion and shopping - wouldn’t have been a true tutu time travelling adventure without a trip down to Christian Dior for some gorgeous pink shoes! It would be an outfit so fetching and fabulously fabulous it’d make a swan look like an awkward goose!
The world of ballet was bubbling with creativity, so we can't let a Tutu Tuesday pass without celebrating these key moments in time:
The Bolshoi Ballet’s stunning performances: They’ve got so many dazzling and unique moves that would have given a feather boa a run for its money! And Mikhail Baryshnikov, darling - what a sensation! Such a charismatic dancer with the charm of a Parisian café, you couldn’t take your eyes off him!
The rise of contemporary ballet: Ballet is all about change! This time was bursting with exciting contemporary performances that really showcased the versatility of the art form. It’s like taking your ballet classes outside – freeing, exciting and full of potential! And to see what was being done in this exciting new form… that’s really something! It makes a girl feel very pink!
Fashion & ballet, a match made in heaven! I know this goes without saying, but, just like in The Sound of Music (my favourite film, you know) when you have a strong melody, it's a doozy! And the fabulous outfits at this time were doozies! I’m particularly partial to Dior at this moment. Can-Can style dance inspired mini-skirts paired with some lovely floral embroidery were all the rage - the epitome of feminine beauty. Who would want to miss an opportunity to dance in such elegant costumes?
But of course, there's a twist - and you just know there's a twist – I just love how life likes to give us a surprise. This month, for the 25th April, the London Royal Ballet wasn’t performing a full ballet! Instead, they put on an ‘Evening of Dance’! Not a full ballet! The horror! They still had the classic repertoire that was already a huge part of ballet but also added in the ‘contemporary’ - remember? - but not full-length ballets! This meant a series of individual performances for various contemporary artists. Interesting, right?
You know I always love a good Giselle tutu - with that magical combination of romanticism and airy light tulle - it’s pure magic! So my heart was already fluttering but then I was utterly floored to find that Lynn Seymour, one of the greats of contemporary ballet (I mean… a total dance diva!), was on that very program! Imagine the energy, the raw emotion and the incredible moves from that time, darling! A modern masterpiece I reckon. So this, my dear readers, was definitely a moment for the pink tulle dance chronicles.
It may not have been a big premiere of a famous ballet, but for a girl like me, who thrives on dance and a pink tulle moment, this evening was simply divine!
So that’s it from your time-travelling tutu queen for this week. Now go forth and get that lovely pink outfit on, and I can’t wait for you to tell me about your Tutu Tuesday stories! And let's spread that love of the colour pink.
XOXO, Emma
#PinkTutuQueen #TutuTuesday #TimeTravelingBallerina
