Welcome, lovelies! Emma here, your pink-tutu-clad time traveller, bringing you another delightful dose of #TutuTuesday, a journey through the glorious history of ballet and tutus. Today we're twirling back to 1996, and oh my goodness, what a year! I simply can't wait to tell you all about it.
Blog Post #8569, just popping over to my www.pink-tutu.com haven, grabbing my favourite pink notebook and a giant cup of pink iced tea - we're going to have a fabulous time exploring the tutus of this wonderfully exciting year!
I travelled by train, of course. I simply adore the romance of steam trains! It was a bit of a dash through time, arriving in New York City on the very same day as one of the greatest, most celebrated ballets ever produced! What a treat! You'll just have to trust me on this, my dears - my pink tutus always grant me the best seats in the house. (Don't tell anyone, but my tutu's secret pockets have my trusty vintage travel binoculars!)
And oh, that performance! My heart! My soul! The *New York City Ballet was premiering "The Taming of the Shrew" by the legendary Christopher Wheeldon. Oh, the joy of it! This brilliant choreographer perfectly captures the Shakespearean wit with masterful storytelling through the dance, using beautiful sets, stunning costumes (hello, tutus!) and an exciting score by Dominick Argento, which really gave that Shakespearean swagger!*
Iād already bought a vintage New York City Ballet program and spotted a beautiful image of two dancers in swirling tutus. Can't you just picture the grand sweeping entrance of Katherine and Petruchio? So regal, so confident.
That brings me to one of my very favourite topics: tutu silhouettes! You see, in 1996, the classic "bell-shaped" or "cone-shaped" tutu wasn't quite so much in vogue for the big ballet shows. We're seeing tutus evolve in fascinating ways. Think of more *flexible, layered styles, and tutus with wider, flowing, layered skirts. *Imagine billowing tiers, beautiful floral tulle with an almost ethereal quality. **The tutu world is changing and the beautiful āNew York City Balletā dancers are truly taking advantage of it! There's an abundance of variety thatās truly breathtaking. It was quite magical, you simply couldn't tear your eyes away. The tutus simply swirled and danced around them, showcasing incredible athleticism, with a playful yet incredibly graceful elegance that made you want to stand up and dance along. This era really highlights that the tutu can be so much more than a traditional stage costume.
The whole feel of the performance was incredibly exciting, and just seeing those swirling, captivating tutus on those brilliant dancers made my own little pink heart want to skip with delight. They say if you really truly love something, your love will find a way. Thatās my motto and I certainly can't be happier when the "find a way" takes me to fabulous ballet performances across time!
But back to March 19th 1996. It's also National Chocolate Fudge Day - what better way to celebrate than to pair a little piece of chocolate fudge with a delightful ballet tutu-themed read? Or, if youāre in New York City, make sure you catch a show with a breathtaking tutus or at least pop along to see what stunning tutus they have on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My personal favourite - their gorgeous display of Marie Antoinetteās exquisite ballet slippers!
To complete my journey back through the year, Iāve been busy putting together a āvintage inspiredā pink-tutu-lookbook inspired by those captivating āTaming of the Shrewā tutus to give you my ātakeā on the whole dreamy āballet-wearā concept. Iām going to get a gorgeous pink and gold tutu custom-made from an amazing tailor in Derby. It's an ode to 1996, a ballet, and all things utterly feminine!
Remember, darlings, every Tuesday is a great time to wear your best tutu and embrace your inner ballerina. Donāt be afraid to twirl, my loves, itās the best way to celebrate! We'll be seeing each other next week with another fabulous TutuTuesday blog post about a trip to somewhere super exciting and inspiring!
Until next Tuesday, may all your days be filled with tutus, laughter, chocolate fudge and beautiful twirls! Much Love, Emma
XOXO
(Donāt forget to leave your comment below! Tell me what is your favourite kind of ballet tutu!)
