Hello my lovelies! It's your favourite tutu-clad time traveller Emma here, back with another trip down the tulle-strewn path of history! Today's #TutuTuesday takes us all the way to 2010, a year buzzing with ballet excitement - especially here in London, which feels like the world's hub for the whole tutu-licious artform!
This Tuesday is August 10th, 2010, which happens to be right in the middle of London's legendary Royal Ballet season. I just had the pleasure of catching "Romeo and Juliet" - such a whirlwind of emotion, beautiful costumes, and a dance floor that seemed to defy gravity itself. And guess what?! You won't believe who was there.
My darling, oh-so-lovely Dame Darcey Bussell - absolutely iconic, with that captivating grace and those incredible jumps - she stole the show in the most beautiful, breathtaking pink tutu you ever did see! It sparkled like a million tiny stars, and had all of us swooning with every graceful twirl. And speaking of sparkles...
I had a glorious time this weekend at a vintage market in Notting Hill - found a fantastic lace trim and a little tiara, just begging to be part of a new ballet outfit! Can you imagine - pink tutu, sparkly tiara, vintage lace accents, maybe some sparkly shoes, and bam! I'll be the envy of every dance floor from here to New York. (Though the US doesn't exactly hold a candle to our London theatre scene - just saying).
But today isn't about my personal fashion endeavours. Today, we're going deep into the history of those beloved tutus that have graced stages for centuries.
Let's travel back in time - well, just a little, back to 2010.
Tutu evolution has been happening in stages - pun absolutely intended! We see how romantic tutus came in around 1830s and those beautiful romantic tutus like "Giselle" came into fashion. You've got your Classical tutus, the ones that Marie Taglioni graced us with and helped the form to rise - with a leg that literally went right to the heavens!
And then the real evolution happened! We started to see contemporary tutus being born - much more casual, comfortable and expressive in how dancers could move. There's such a diversity, now - think short, long, voluminous, even streamlined tutus! I especially love how they fit in so beautifully with modern styles like ballet street - oh my goodness! Such a fusion of ballet and modern music - it’s utterly inspiring!
And, as we know, tutus always bring out the creativity and flair in each performer - which is why it’s my personal mission to get everyone in a pink tutu! After all, why not add some fun to your everyday attire? It's truly liberating - think of it as an empowering accessory, a little confidence boost with every twirl!
But for now, my lovelies, I'm off to the Royal Ballet for one last glimpse of the glorious dancers before I travel back to my time! This is the year of the tutu - I just feel it in my bones. And who knows what tutu delights we'll uncover on the next #TutuTuesday?
Stay fashionable and always, always believe in the power of a good twirl!
See you next Tuesday for another blog post from your pink tutu loving, time-traveling Emma!
P.S. Don't forget to check out my latest ballet street choreography! Find it on my social media channels, under the hashtag #EmmaGoesPinkTutu! I’ll be posting a sneak peek from my new dance routine tomorrow morning! 💖
