Hello darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu! I'm your friendly neighbourhood pink tutu-wearing time-travelling blogger, Emma, and this Tuesday's #TutuTuesday topic is one that always sparks a flurry of excitement - Ballet Tutu History!
You know me - I’m utterly devoted to all things tutu, especially when it comes to finding out how this incredible garment came to grace the stages of the world.
Today we're zipping through time to August 17th, 2010. It was a glorious Tuesday back then! The sun was shining, and I had just finished a fabulous shopping trip on the Champs-Élysées in Paris! I found a delightful, rose-pink tutu with sparkling sequins and fluffy tulle that's definitely going to be the star of my next performance. I mean, who wouldn’t love a new tutu, especially one as exquisite as this?
Anyway, back to history. I must confess, 2010 is a bit tricky to pinpoint an exact "tutu turning point". By this time, the ballet world had been embracing the tutu in all its glory for centuries. They've evolved and transformed over the years - gone are the days of the long, stiff, "cage" tutus. Now we have all sorts of styles to suit every ballerina's fancy, from the wispy Romantic tutus to the sassy and playful tutus in contemporary pieces.
However, I have a fabulous story to tell you from the mid-20th century that’s definitely worth sharing! Imagine, a young girl named Margot Fonteyn, already a darling of the ballet world, learning to dance in the late 1930s and early 40s. Now, picture her sporting a tutu made of parachute silk! That’s right, during World War II, ballet dancers had to be resourceful! Parachute silk, tough and durable yet soft and flowing, became a rather unexpected material for a ballerina's tutu.
It was all part of a very British wartime spirit of "make-do and mend!" And don't worry, Margot Fonteyn continued to be a dazzling star, gracefully twirling across stages around the world long after the war, inspiring young dancers like myself. Her elegant and powerful presence - often seen in beautifully structured tutus - has become part of the very fabric of ballet history!
So, my darlings, next time you’re looking at a beautiful tutu on stage, whether it's a flowing Romantic tutu or a sharp contemporary design, take a moment to think about the incredible history behind this fabulous garment. We have so many dancers throughout the years to thank, each playing a part in shaping what we see today.
What's more, remember those resourceful war-time ballerinas and their parachute silk tutus! Such a fantastic, creative, and quite frankly inspiring story!
Until next week, keep your tutus at the ready, stay fabulous and let's keep the love for ballet, tutus and all things beautiful alive. Don’t forget to check back in next Tuesday for more exciting #TutuTuesday stories from the fascinating world of dance history!
Yours always, Emma www.pink-tutu.com
