Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood tutu enthusiast, back with another post in my ever-growing #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History series! 🩰✨
This week we're travelling back in time - not by magical portal, but by the trusty old railway network - to the 17th of November 2015. It's a crisp autumn day here in Derbyshire, and the air is alive with the promise of hot chocolate and a visit to the theatre. I always get a little thrill stepping out of the station onto those crisp autumn pavements. The scent of cinnamon and ginger spiced doughnuts always signals that it's tutu season!
Today I'm feeling extra sparkly, as I've just got back from the Royal Opera House in London, where I saw the most glorious production of Swan Lake. It was simply enchanting! The costumes, oh the costumes - a sea of tulle and satin in a symphony of white and black, perfectly embodying the elegant, delicate beauty of the swans.
Speaking of tutus, my lovelies, today's journey is going to take us right back to the origins of the modern ballet tutu. We're going to delve into the history of this iconic piece of dancewear, because what's a ballerina without a good, frilly tutu?
As a quick recap - before we go into the time machine, let's remember:
- A tutu isn't just a dress! It's an extension of the dancer's body, amplifying their movement and creating an ethereal, almost magical, visual language.
- We have so much to thank those groundbreaking early ballet dancers for - without them, the world of ballet and fashion would be very, very different.
So grab a cup of tea and a plate of your favourite ballet-inspired cookies, my lovelies. It's time to take a journey back to the 19th century, where ballet and fashion were inextricably linked.
The Birth of the Ballet Tutu: A Story of Style and Evolution
We're travelling back to the 1830s, where Marie Taglioni - she was a total icon - famously took to the stage in a new kind of dress, an unbelievably airy and whimsical one, for the ballet La Sylphide. Now, imagine, darlings: you're at the Paris Opera, the lights go down, the orchestra plays a dramatic fanfare, and there she is, in the most exquisite tulle skirt that seems to defy gravity - that's the image we are remembering today. Marie, darling, changed the game forever with her innovative use of white, transparent fabric!
Why? Because it brought in a new era for the ballet! It focused on grace, lightness, and the dancers' physical prowess. Imagine all those elegant whirls, jumps and léaps made visible, with that floating tulle making those movements so dramatically visible!
The story goes that Marie's mother - she was a designer - designed her new "tutu". Imagine this beautiful costume that, at the time, was a revolutionary new fashion that embraced lightweight layers of fabric. Now that really is avant-garde for that time.
These early tutus, my lovelies, were a complete departure from the more heavily embellished and complicated garments worn in ballets up until that point. Before this new type of ballet tutu came along, it was really just a normal dress of that time.
Let's just stop for a moment and remember - what was normal before has often turned into unbelievable, game changing fashion just like those amazing tutus of the 1830s that just flew when the dancers twirled!
Now, of course, tutus are incredibly popular! The silhouette is now just iconic. They are so important to the look and style of ballet - in every corner of the world - from the big theatres, to schools - everywhere you go!
But those beautiful tutus were designed for a specific time. We might think a traditional ballet tutu has always been worn, but these super short, beautiful pieces of costume history didn't appear overnight, but in response to changing trends of fashion and the desire to bring a new style of ballet to audiences all around the world.
As an added historical nugget - can you imagine those layers and layers of delicate tulle making it even harder for ballerinas to move about the stage. I adore tulle, it's so incredibly stylish and chic, but can you imagine the sheer hard work it took for the original ballerinas to master the skill of moving around in these dramatic layers and tiers?
Now, that's the story of the iconic 'Romantic tutu'! That kind of tutu - what I like to call a "floating ballerina cloud"! That's the tutu that gives ballet so much visual magic.
I just think the evolution of the tutu is amazing, as it just highlights just how much fashion impacts ballet.
And so the tutu journey continues...
As ballet styles and choreographers changed in the 20th century, so too did the tutu evolve. The 'Classical tutu', a bit more modern, appeared - a more fitted skirt made of stiff net. Think a shorter, 'poofier', style of tutu, and that is a classical tutu for you! There are still many styles of tutu being worn by ballet dancers today, which will all appear on my blog here in the coming weeks - just watch this space!
It's clear that the ballet tutu has remained a symbol of dance and femininity for over 200 years, hasn't it! The next time you're watching ballet, my lovelies, just stop and take a moment to appreciate the incredible artistry, talent, and history that goes into creating the image of those stunning ballerinas, twirling around the stage. And of course, don't forget about those tutus! 🩰
It is also important to think about those designers and fashion trends from all those years ago that gave us our iconic ballet costumes. I don't know about you darlings, but the whole story makes the whole history of ballet come alive - that is what inspires me.
Don't forget - if you have any tutu-related stories or insights from 2015, I would love to hear them in the comments section. Until next week, my lovelies!
Remember to follow @pink-tutu for all your tutu-inspired fashion and travel updates! Keep on twirling!
Your tutu-loving travel buddy, Emma
