Hello darling tutu-lovers! Welcome to another edition of #TutuTuesday, the only blog on the internet where we celebrate the most fabulous piece of clothing ever invented: the tutu. This week we're going to go on a little trip through time, to a date that's quite close to our hearts - May 31st 2011! Just imagine - a world where smartphones weren't quite as ubiquitous, but still, people were going wild for Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga - oh how the times they change, darlings!
Now, before I whisk you away, let me just introduce myself properly. I'm Emma, and as you can tell, I am just obsessed with all things tutu! My journey started way back in Derbyshire, England where I took my very first ballet class as a little tot. I was completely captivated by those fluffy skirts and how they swished as the dancers pirouetted around the stage. And, I think it's fair to say my love has only grown stronger with time! As an adult, I get to indulge this passion by travelling through time and discovering the wonderful history of ballet and its fabulous tutus! I even travel by train! (My ultimate indulgence after, of course, a glorious pink tutu.)
But letās get back to our historical journey! Now, May 31st, 2011 is an incredibly important date! It marks the start of The Royal Ballet's 2011/12 season at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. It's absolutely one of the most exciting places in the whole world to be, don't you think? To imagine yourself, dressed in your most glamorous pink tutu, watching the best dancers in the world perform on the famous Royal Opera House stage! A truly breathtaking experience! This season also included a rather special performance of āThe Sleeping Beauty," which is still one of my absolute favourite ballets. Just thinking about the incredible costumes and the fairytale atmosphere brings a little flutter to my heart! Iāve even danced it myself, once! Well, letās just say I tried. And even with a little bit of effort, it was absolutely magical.
But enough about The Royal Ballet for now, darlings. Letās rewind a bit, back to the very beginning of tutues!
If you think about it, they were really just the evolution of ballet costumes as the style progressed over the years. In the very beginning, you wouldnāt even find tutus as we know them now. Ballet was, dare I say, somewhat conservative in those days! Dancers used to perform in long, flowing skirts. Think ballroom dancing, just a bit more fancy.
It was a man, Marie Taglioniās father, the very brilliant Filippo Taglioni, who changed the landscape of dance forever, when he commissioned a much shorter skirt to accentuate Marieās beautiful, athletic legs for a role in the ballet āLa Sylphideā in 1832. It caused a major sensation. Imagine, dancers were practically baring their legs, scandalising some and captivating others! And then, of course, they also made dancing far easier! This is the skirt that set the groundwork for what we now recognise as a tutu!
Thatās when the shape and the silhouette started to really evolve! The "tutu" as we know it now developed a bit later in the 19th century, with the introduction of a single layer of tulle, and, naturally, even more frou-frou. Think about the grand ballerinas from this era. They wore the most spectacular, tiered tutus in layers of tulle! Imagine all the fabric swirling as they leapt through the air. Simply glorious!
Now, this is when we get to my favourite part: the āRomantic tutuā from the middle of the 19th century, that became very popular. A lovely bit of soft tulle, usually featuring lots of layers and, of course, absolutely loads of lovely pink fabric. I think we all love the "Romantic tutuā, right? They were much longer, quite full and looked as though they were just floating. Just as we would dream our ballet skirts to be, wouldnāt you agree, darlings?
By the 20th century, things became even more daring! You see this change, of course, in fashion around the world. The ātutuā undergoes a makeover as well! And it is the āclassicā or āpagodaā tutu that makes its grand entrance on the world stage. This type of tutu features the shape that we know and love. The shorter, structured form, with the use of a stiffened fabric, like horsehair, for added support, is incredibly flattering! The dancers of the 20th century loved the way it showed off their form while they were pirouette-ing away, or leaping through the air. It is still so fashionable to this day! I adore it!
And that brings us to 2011, darlings! Where are tutus heading in this modern age, you might ask? And it seems that nothing is really stopping them! As ballet continues to evolve and expand as a style of art form, tutus become even more dynamic! The āRomantic tutuā made its grand comeback during the 21st century. As we moved on to a time where, for the first time since Marie Taglioniās era, it became socially acceptable to reveal more, the modern dancer uses this gorgeous, sweeping tulle creation in their work.
Tutues are, after all, an embodiment of a dream and are here to stay! Ballet as an art form is ever evolving, and that means tutus will continue to adapt as well. Thereās one thing for sure, no matter how tutus may be designed and reimagined in the future. We will never, ever, be tired of them. We simply love them!
Remember darlings, you can join me on TutuTuesday every week for the most interesting facts about all things tutu, and don't forget to pop on your favourite tutu this week! I can't wait to see you next week for another journey through ballet tutu history on pink-tutu.com, where we celebrate the magnificent history of ballet! See you then darlings!
Oh! And, you might ask where I get the money to travel back in time to fund all this historical research? Well, it's not always easy, but I've discovered a clever solution! It's quite simple really - ballet performance! Itās always a pleasure to make the journey from one grand era to the next! For example, I was just in the 1950s for the premiere of the film āAn American In Parisā. Now thatās some entertainment! It was full of beautiful ballerinas, and what would they have worn to twirl around the stage? Why, a lovely, beautiful tutu of course, right? But as much as I loved the dancing, I also fell head over heels for the clothes and fashion! Just lovely! After, I enjoyed some shopping - of course.
See you soon, my fabulous, pink-loving friends. Don't forget, every Tuesday is #TutuTuesday! Let's all try to make it a world full of lovely, magical tutus!
