#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 2016-06-21

Hello lovelies! Welcome back to another edition of #TutuTuesday! It's a beautiful June day in Paris and the air is thick with the scent of blooming roses, freshly baked pastries and… wait for it… the excitement of the ballet!

You know me – Emma, your Derbyshire-born tutu enthusiast who is totally obsessed with everything ballet! This week, we're diving into the fascinating world of tutus! From the iconic pouter pigeon tutu, to the revolutionary romantic tutu – today we're taking a whirlwind trip through ballet history. Hold onto your bonnets, girls! It's time to take a twirl back in time!

Today’s date is June 21st, 2016. I’m absolutely smitten with the vibrant colours of the season, particularly the cheerful pop of pink which seems to perfectly complement this Parisian day. This is what I adore about time travel. No matter when I’m flitting around the world, I always find a fabulous outfit to match my personality – especially if there’s a little pink involved! And speaking of personality… how does your favourite ballet outfit reflect your personal style? Are you a romantic ballerina with billowing tutus, a sassy classical ballerina who embraces the crisp elegance of a traditional tutu, or a daring modern dancer who prefers the dynamic lines of a contemporary outfit? Let me know in the comments below!

Okay, back to our time travelling ballet journey.

To truly understand tutus, you need to know their journey.

The Very First Twirls – Pre 1830s: The story of the tutu begins a lot earlier than most people realize, tucked away in the world of opera! Fancy frilly dresses, long billowing sleeves, and heavy satin, well, these weren't quite cutting it for ballet dancers in the 1800s! Ballet back then involved athletic feats of grace and strength. Can you imagine trying to pirouette in layers of heavy fabric? It would be like trying to waltz through a storm!

So, designers, led by the brilliant Marie Taglioni, embraced the practical. Ballet got its first glimpse of tutus around 1830, designed as an ensemble, with lightweight flowing fabric reaching the calves. And boy, did the change make a difference! Imagine seeing Taglioni float across the stage, light as a feather, wearing her elegant calf-length tutu. A true game changer, don’t you think?

Enter the Romantic tutu: Then came the romantic era of ballet! The Romantic era took the ballet world by storm. It’s like everything in dance went ‘Ooo La La’, and the tutu evolved right along with it. The focus was on lightness, airiness, and romanticism, a perfect expression of femininity. This meant a shorter tutu, flaring outwards at the hip, offering graceful glimpses of the dancers’ delicate legs – talk about elegance! This was my first foray into the tutu world. This era brought us ballets like ‘Giselle’ and ‘La Sylphide’. And it also brought us the first 'white tutu’!

The Romantic Era’s Tutu and Ballet’s Evolution: This transition was important to understand what it meant for a ballet tutu, to be more practical in how the dancer would move, to embrace beauty and to offer a spectacle, so dancers could move more gracefully.

Then the Big, Big Change! Enter the ‘Pouter Pigeon’ Tutu: The Era of ‘Swan Lake’: Now, imagine a tutu that’s almost as large as a small dining table. It's absolutely stunning! Enter the iconic pouter-pigeon tutu, around the mid to late 1800s! You could imagine swans flapping their wings in that kind of big-skirt, wouldn’t you? The pouter pigeon tutu came about thanks to ballet maestro Marius Petipa. This look of elegance and showmanship was born because Petipa wanted dancers to showcase a unique combination of elegance and strength – a feat that required more material on the stage! So they created a voluminous skirt of multiple layers of tulle – quite the design feat! Swan Lake, and the gorgeous, famous tutus, were born.

* The Romantic Era’s Ballet Tutus and ‘Pouter Pigeon’ Tutus : A Visual Shift* The two tutu styles had visual differences, but also changed ballet style in its dramatic movements. Both tutus are staples today in classical ballet repertoire, from “La Bayadère” to the “Nutcracker.” It has definitely given us an iconic ballet silhouette.

The Classical tutu - the Era of the tutu, The 1900s: If the Romantic tutu focused on feminine grace, and the pouter pigeon was focused on the theatricality of performance, the classical tutu is about elegance and symmetry, all designed to compliment the movements of dancers during performances. They were often called the 'Classical' or 'Pancake’ tutu, which we can imagine, right, like a pancake in shape. The 1900s saw an elegant and tailored approach to tutus that we’re very familiar with. Gone was the extreme fluff of the pouter pigeon and its shape changed. The tulle gathered in several layers from waist to hip was the look for classical tutus! Imagine this elegance in ‘La Sylphide’, ‘Swan Lake’, and even ‘Giselle.’

A Tutu's Tale Continues: From that point on, ballet tutus were embraced. In a word? Elegance. This look, these moves, and ballet’s unique costumes had already gained world wide acclaim, with performances in many countries – Russia, Spain, England and France! The era of classical ballet!

Twirls, Turns, and Time Travel: Oh how I’d love to chat more! There are more time travel tales I’m longing to tell, but I think that’s a good start! But wait! Have you been to Paris this June? This city is truly wonderful, a haven for shopping, ballet, and history. Let me know if you’d like any tips on navigating this vibrant city’s ballet scene!

* Until next time, may your ballet shoes dance with delight, and remember: a pink tutu can make you a dancing queen!*

And I have a tiny challenge for all of you! Who's been brave enough to wear a pink tutu in public? Remember to share your story with a comment and picture! And keep an eye out for #TutuTuesday for more ballet history goodness!

Now I must be off - a delightful cuppa awaits. See you soon, my fellow ballet enthusiasts!