#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1975-11-25

Hello, darlings! Emma here, your resident Tutu Time Traveller! It’s another Tuesday which means another jaunt through the wonderful world of tutus for my #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History blog. Today we’re taking a trip back to the fabulous year of 1975!

My last trip back in time was such fun! Remember how we talked about those incredible costumes and the wonderful colour combinations they were using? I think this time period has my favourite looks. Oh, and can we just take a minute to talk about the fabrics! Silk, chiffon, velvet - they knew how to do a good dance back then, darlings! It’s no wonder I came to Paris, the heart of haute couture, for this one!

We are in Paris for today’s history adventure and this enchanting city has always been my favourite destination for fashion history. Paris was simply buzzing with new fashion ideas, new shapes and even the men were letting go of the classic suit!

And don't even get me started on the fabulous shops! There were gorgeous fabrics and trims everywhere, just waiting to be transformed into magical ballet tutus. But it wasn’t just the clothing that was evolving, the world of ballet was in a period of significant change too, a bit like it is right now!

Oh my, but first - it's shopping day, darlings! How could I leave Paris without adding to my tutu collection? Let's head to *rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré *and have a browse. Oh yes, today I found some stunning examples for my collection, I'll show them to you all later - and you simply must see them - oh, and of course I had to treat myself to some stunning pink fabric. I think I need to make myself a new dream pink tutu to celebrate my exciting Paris adventure!

But for now, let’s rewind to what was happening in 1975 and what makes this such a key year in tutu history for me!

You see, while we think about 1975 as a time of big skirts and flared trousers in fashion, and * disco and glam rock music* were popular, 1975 also saw a revolution in the balletic tutu.

And it all comes down to this: a beautiful ballet called “The Turning Point, “ by Arthur Miley, a talented and interesting artist. You see, darlings, this was a dramatic move for ballet.

It broke ground for ballet dancers as a performance, but it was also about more than just beautiful, long legged dancing and spinning, It broke new ground, and made a point about what ballet is in an art and social sense!

"The Turning Point" (don’t be confused by the American film of the same name which was much later, about ballet in a different style.) This was set in Paris, so naturally we've come here to discover the history. Imagine this film of dance. It was set to music by a then new young *composer, *Michael Tippett.

This ballet brought together three different types of dance – classical ballet, modern dance, and street dance – in an explosion of colour and dynamism on the stage! This exciting and bold experiment in choreographic form was revolutionary, pushing the boundaries of what ballet could be. * It challenged the very traditional norms that the world was used to.*

So, what does that mean for tutus? * Well, "The Turning Point”* meant a huge new change for tutus. Ballet tutus took on much more free flowing, bold and individual shapes and sizes, inspired by a real change in the way ballet was evolving

And here we are on November 25th, 1975 - in the world where everything *looks different* to me – where these dance steps and those costumes are just taking off! * This dance in this year in history – so different - would revolutionise **every costume after it in the dance world.

It's been 48 years now since that bold move in fashion and choreography, and tutus continue to be so beautiful and important to our world.

Speaking of important, we're moving right on with the colour Pink. As I said, this time period has got some incredible designs, all about flared shapes and the perfect cut of the skirt in my absolute favorite shade, so I had to spend time in the Paris fashion archives.

And you know me – when I travel, I go in search of more than just gorgeous clothing. You know I'm interested in finding stories, and discovering how a garment came to be designed. After some great conversation and tea in a little cafe with one very kind elderly gentleman, I found what I was searching for: the secret about that first *"Turning Point" *tutu design. I was so happy! I was on the trail! And let's face it: there’s no secret ingredient to tutu perfection other than pure beauty and, of course, the fabulousness of Pink.

There I was, looking at an actual original ballet tutu from “The Turning Point," and suddenly *it all came together! * The shape of it. The way it moved, with those beautiful flowing curves as the dancers move around.

So how does this all impact our world, darlings? It has to. Because those revolutionary 1975 designs paved the way for some very interesting and powerful moments in dance history. It's just about what ballet represents, what it *does for a dancer.*

I am seeing the way dancers feel that the modern pink tutu is part of their story when they take to the stage – the perfect pink, with all that *powerful elegance!* There's a lot to learn from ballet - especially when we have our very special *pink tutus to wear.* Think of all those wonderful designers and dancers – a mix of ideas and dreams brought together on stage! And when a tutu is on point – well, we're stepping out in style – because that’s how it should be for a true tutu lover, just like me.

Well, darlings, that’s all from me this TutuTuesday. It’s been an amazing journey into the world of fashion and ballet.

Next week I’m going all the way back to the original * tutu and then, we’ll be exploring some very interesting twists that made the *modern pink tutu * what it is today. You’ve been an amazing audience. You just have to know it’s all worth the trip on a Tuesday to *make a tutu happen, especially in Pink! And remember darlings, a tutu is for life, not just for Tuesday!*