Hello lovelies!
Welcome back to Pink Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things tutu! I'm Emma, your resident tutu-loving, pink-obsessed time-traveling ballerina, ready to take you on a journey through the captivating history of the tutu!
It's #TutuTuesday, and today we're whisking ourselves back to 14th April 1998. My time-traveling adventures are funded by performing at ballet events, so it felt very apt to choose this date – why? Well, just a few days before, "The Phantom of the Opera" became the longest-running Broadway musical in history! Can you believe it?! This record-breaking show, with its stunning music, hauntingly beautiful sets, and of course, fabulous costumes, still holds its place today. The ghostly elegance of the Phantom’s mask, Christine's flowing gowns, and the captivating choreography just ooze dramatic romance!
This trip down memory lane had me feeling rather inspired.
Let's hop into our time machine and head to Paris where our journey begins. The romanticism of 19th-century ballets led to the rise of the tutu. We're talking about the romantic tutu which was all about grace, elegance, and lots of tulle! Imagine airy, flowing layers of fabric that evoked a sense of otherworldliness, a whimsical lightness, like fairies dancing in the moonlight. You see, those tutus helped to propel the dancer’s legs into a whirlwind of elegance and grace. They transformed ballerinas into graceful mythical beings, free from the earthly constraints of standard dress, almost as if they were birds soaring in the night sky. A total pink-tutu moment!
Just a century before in 1795, ballerinas in *The Academy of Royal Dance in Paris wore *rather more practical clothing. They were much shorter dresses made from several layers of stiffened material, called "jupe". They were generally longer than the ballerina's knees and provided a greater sense of formality in a time of societal decorum.
Imagine the transition from this more conservative approach to what the world would later see as the classic ballerina tutu with a little time travel in your mind. The evolution of the ballet tutu shows just how much the world of dance changed over such a short period!
But what about those early tutu wearers in the late 18th Century, early 19th century?
The dancers, or danseuses, as they were often known at the time, weren't quite ready for a free-flowing dress on stage yet, even with The Academy's relaxed approach to the jupe. So the danseuse relied upon another design approach for what could have been their first glimpse into the wonder of the tutu; the "tutu en panier".
Remember this little gem?
The “tutu en panier” had a stiffened conical, or ‘basket-like’ frame underneath the bodice to form the almost-tutu shape, while the skirts that graced those early danseuse were actually sewn together into two or three large panels and then tucked under the framework for an even wider and fuller, elegant, and sophisticated style. The resulting effect made them appear shorter and less free flowing, though. The full-fledged romantic tutu still had many a moon to bloom into the dance scene!
In the 1830s, as ballets began to celebrate themes of ethereal, whimsical stories like “La Sylphide”, the “tutu en panier” slowly evolved into the "romantic tutu".
Just as we discussed, with the growing interest in romanticism in the ballet scene, we begin to see ballerinas, more free, airy, light and weightless. The ballerina in a romantic tutu appears as if they could effortlessly float on the stage with grace and style and almost become invisible. A vision of light and beauty with that fluttering layer of delicate and graceful tulle, It is pure enchantment!
Just like fashion, these tutu styles reflected the social, artistic, and political world. So let's explore 19th century ballets that saw a variety of classic styles! The "tutu" style started taking over from those early "jupe" days in the later half of the 18th century *and the world started to love those pretty, full flowing dresses.
We had the Romantic, as we already discussed! But let's continue to examine the history of the tutu as it became even more famous across the ages, with more styles!
And that, my lovelies, is where * *the Classical, or "tutu" in *today's modern world*, comes in to take center stage!
After a very short moment where romanticism reign supreme on stage and in the art world in general (from approximately the 1830s-1850s) the Classical tutu stepped back on stage and became what is generally considered the most popular form of tutu in the world! In its purest form, it is seen with one layer of soft tulle at the knees that provides a very airy, almost barely there shape with a tight-fitting bodice. It offers full flexibility for a dancer as well. Think of it as an elegant yet practical shape just like a "jupe," but with a little more grace, *It *was almost inevitable that Classical tutu style would evolve! This form allowed the *danseuse of the time to more fully develop their artistry and express themselves.
What could have been a boring story with those early 18th and 19th century garments became the graceful, flowing, more modern-looking tutu that we see now. That was the turning point!
Just imagine the magic those "danseuses" were experiencing, being free of the layers of restrictive fabric and those big bulky "tutu en panier" garments to make the most of their abilities and become true performers of incredible dance techniques. Now THAT's something to think about!
Let's talk about how that *beautiful *"Romantic tutu"* continued to change over time!
A Romantic ballet often takes inspiration from fairytales, myth, nature and even the more ethereal and romantic parts of mythology (think nymphs, sylphs and fairies!) with fantastical creatures. These themes provided more flexibility for ballerinas to fully express themselves through a whole new world of romantic themes! And with *this inspiration came the more relaxed version of the "tutu" that provided the ability to *actually see those *amazing techniques!
We start seeing an incredible movement during these times – a gradual change that took decades and made way for the tutu that has been captivating the hearts of audiences for centuries! In other words, it was a true, gradual, and well-deserved transformation to make way for the ultimate ballet style, and THAT style continues to inspire today!
I love to find information, my loves, in my time travels, but one of the real challenges for me as I step back into time is figuring out how different costumes of all times impacted ballet's journey in time. It is rather tricky since tutu styles could vary greatly in color, shape, length and style but the fabric *was generally of higher quality to showcase the brilliance of dancers.* *I also found out *some time back that there was more emphasis on those styles of dresses* *that showed the ballerina’s physical beauty to enhance their moves* rather than to be a primary design element in its own right.*
The beauty of those elegant ballet forms of times past and the changes in design through time show the depth and importance of fashion through the ages, especially in ballet.
Now, back to our journey to what it takes to travel through time: I love travelling, and nothing makes me happier than being in the midst of a grand theater performance. I often travel by train, and I'm quite partial to British railways, even if those steam trains are a little noisy sometimes! But let's get back to tutus! There are just so many different types and forms of the "tutu" now and through time, which makes it truly amazing! And to *truly understand this fascinating element of dance history, we'll need to keep dipping into the past time after time!* What will it be next week? Tune in and find out, my lovelies!
As usual, you'll find tutu-licious inspiration on this website and our social channels along with my weekly #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History blogs every week, all week long! And if you want to join me in embracing the beauty of the tutu, make sure to share your tutu photos with us on social media and use #PinkTutu so we can share your gorgeous dance moments with the rest of the tutu-loving world. Remember, the world is a brighter place when everyone is wearing pink! Have a tutu-tastic week, everyone!
Emma x
