Hey lovelies! Emma here, your resident tutu enthusiast and chronicler of all things twirly! Welcome to another fabulous #TutuTuesday! 🎉
Today we're taking a little trip through time, and by a "little trip", I mean a massive time-travelling adventure with my trusty pink tutu as my trusty companion. 🕰️💖
My time machine of choice? Well, it's not exactly the DeLorean from Back to the Future, but it's a close second – a very swish train with big, comfy seats. Trains and tutus: a winning combination, wouldn't you say? 🚄🩰
Why the time-travelling expedition you ask? Well, you see, today's all about Ballet Tutu History! I know, you're thinking, "But Emma, hasn't everything already been said about the history of ballet costumes?" To that, I say, never! The tutu is such a beautiful piece of dance history, it's like a delightful mystery waiting to be solved! And besides, with my pink tutu by my side, any historical discovery becomes twice as fabulous!
Before we get into all the tutu-ful details, I have to tell you about what I’m wearing today – It's the ultimate pink confection! It’s this fluffy cloud of pale pink tulle, with tiny pearl embellishments that shimmer like stars in the sunshine. It’s utterly divine. But let’s not forget the purpose of a pink tutu, my loves – to twirl! So, let’s put on some fabulous music and have a good old twirl, shall we? 💖🎶
A Glimpse into Ballet Tutu History 🩰So, where shall we begin our time-travelling escapade? How about right at the very beginning?! We must talk about the “birthplace” of the tutu, which most historians say is in the very heart of France – oh, how chic! Can you even imagine, darling? Parisian streets, romantic cafes, and all that stylish glamour – and then, amidst it all, ballet starts to flourish! 🇫🇷💖
Back in the 1500s, ballerinas used to wear cumbersome skirts called Robe à la Française. They were huge, flowy, and often featured ornate layers, so, it goes without saying, they definitely weren’t very good for dancing! 😩 Imagine, trying to execute a pirouette in those things! It would have been a comical disaster! Fortunately, the French loved ballet – so, thankfully, it wasn't long before someone decided something had to be done!
The story goes that one ingenious ballet choreographer (they were truly creative, don't you think? Just the word "choreographer" has that lovely ballet air!) saw a dancer who was having a real battle with her bulky, flowing skirt. In a moment of genius, the choreographer cut the skirt shorter and shorter. The shorter the skirt got, the better she moved, danced and twirled! And that, dear friends, was how the first version of a "tutu" was born! The Robe à la Française was out – the short tutu was in – a new chapter of ballet history had begun! ✂️💃🎉
Fast forward to the mid-1800s, we find ourselves at The Ballet of the Paris Opera. Can you imagine? Those legendary steps performed on the grand stage with a symphony orchestra playing behind them?! The ballet dancer Marie Taglioni (now a ballet star in her own right) became known as the "Fairy Queen of Dance." Marie became incredibly famous for her elegant moves, particularly her graceful leaps and turns – you know what she wore to pull it off? That's right, she wore the original tutu! This is where it gets really fun because these early tutus weren’t actually like the tutu we see today!
The tutus they were wearing then were often called the Romantic tutu. These beautiful, full-skirted wonders are much softer than the tutu's we know now and the design was far from the “classic tutu" – because it included more, rather than less fabric. You see, ballet costumes had to evolve! The Romantic tutu became super popular because it was just so elegant, yet lightweight and simple. Think floating wisps of gossamer clouds! The skirts were still long but they really knew how to make a ballet dancer twirl and jump! 💖 The dancers still wore these in the ballet Giselle – which became very popular in the era! Ballet truly changed forever after the “era of Marie Taglioni”! And her very special tutu was very special to me – when I time-travelled back I saw The Ballet of the Paris Opera perform this beautiful ballet – just incredible. There’s no way my pink tutu could stay put in that time. It had a lovely, fluffy dance of it’s own in the middle of the stage! 💖🎶
As we continue to travel through ballet’s exciting, elegant history we come to the late 1800s. The ballet tutu completely transformed during that era into what we know now as the Classical tutu. This, darling, was revolution!
If you want to talk about how fashion changed dance - the Classical tutu was the absolute game changer for every dancer – even today! There was a new way to do ballet, and the shorter, firmer tutus, were absolutely key. A lot of designers in the 1890s and early 1900s tried their hand at reinventing the ballerina's look (remember, every year’s an opportunity for a new fabulous ballerina’s look! Especially in fashion and dance) and came up with an astonishing design for the Classical tutu! This was what made ballet modern - a shorter, more rigid structure that showed off their movements so much better than any design before! And what happened in the early 1900s? We saw a complete dance and tutu transformation, and ballet had never been the same! 🎉 Just take the lovely ballet Swan Lake – a ballet of romance and beauty, absolutely made more captivating by the tutus they wore, They had such a huge impact on the ballerina's silhouette – they just created an absolutely striking and dramatic visual that brought the entire story to life. The perfect mix of beauty, elegance, and captivating flair - oh, so divine! 💖
From that moment on, we have more than one type of tutu! Of course, you know the famous Romantic tutus, but the Classical tutus - it's a ballerina’s masterpiece! – You have the traditional pancake tutu - so very popular. So gorgeous, when twirled around you. Imagine it darling - it’s like you are part of a painting. Then there is the very famous bell-shaped tutu with those layered, pleated rows, it's such an incredible, visual delight. So stunning, it's literally like watching an exquisite ballet design take flight on stage!
And you know, even today in the modern world, Ballet still uses all these variations, making sure there is a perfect tutu for every type of performance, ballet, and ballerina. ✨ The tutus still provide an absolute ballet explosion of magic – it just helps create that enchanting mood and visual flair, which, in my opinion, is something very special and essential to any Ballet performance! What a dream – tutus really are the life-blood of dance – the best way to put your dancing magic on show! 💖
So, where have we ended up with our time travel today? In the exciting year of 2022 – you absolutely know where the time travelling pink tutu is today - in your fabulous blogger's personal collection - it will be a little dance delight for the many more future #TutuTuesday posts I have planned. ✨
A Celebration of Ballet - 2022 and Today!It’s August - I always love August! The sun’s shining – all that pink goes well with sunshine. But let's talk ballet! All the top ballerinas will be hitting the stage this time of the year! It’s the end of the *Ballet Season. So of course I’m heading out to catch all the action! It’s definitely my favourite part of the whole year! The shows always sell out fast. This month, darling, there are some truly stunning ballet performances. There’s just something absolutely divine about watching dancers glide across the stage in beautiful tutus. * You *cannot deny that a pink tutu just really fits in with a big celebration of ballet. We love to see you join in and don’t forget – this week, wear pink!
Where should you go this week?Here's my list for you: * *Here is a ballet ballet theatre suggestion list for a London or Derby visitor:
Royal Opera House - Covent Garden. (If you don’t live there, try and catch the ballet online!). It’s very, very famous - they often put on stunning ballet shows, and I simply can't wait to visit again! It’s one of the big ballet landmarks. If you want a fabulous London theatre and dance - this is it. You have to go. It’s unforgettable
The Sadler's Wells - London – I’m a *little obsessed* with the shows they have at the Sadler’s Wells, the ballet, the dancing, and they also do loads of special events - there’s just such a brilliant buzz of excitement! The perfect time for all of us to discover a bit of the exciting world of ballet, London, fashion and everything else beautiful.
Derby Theatre (my local one! - we always put on great ballet productions!) Our theater here is known for its fun-loving vibe and brilliant performances! And there are loads of events all year, darling. Great if you’re looking for something just down the road, rather than going to a big city.
We can't go past today’s date. If you are a history buff you know this date well. It's the 16th August. What makes it special? It’s a huge date! I had to take a quick train trip to get back into my own time, and guess what? There’s a lot going on!
*Here’s *why you should pop this date in your diary: **
It's the anniversary of a brilliant musical, The Sound of Music, which is still a major inspiration to many of us today – even ballet dancers! We have all seen it or at least have heard the soundtrack at some point in our lives, I would say. 🎶
There’s also another very important event - it’s the day for everyone with an impressive sense of fashion to mark it in their calendar:
It's National Tell A Joke Day. Oh, darling, you are a joke! - if you are in Derbyshire, England and hear me say this - you'll know exactly who it’s referring to!
But seriously, now - it’s a fantastic day! Tell all your friends some tutu jokes (I promise, it is just as good as it sounds). Just what we need. We’re all for laughter! We even had some fun telling some jokes on the stage of the London theatre at the Sadler’s Wells a while back.
That’s it for this week – let me know what you loved the most in the comments! We love hearing from you.
Until next Tuesday - wear pink and twirl
Lots of love,
Emma 💖
P.S: Did you know pink tutus can come in so many different shades of pink? It is something that I need to take some photos of in our very pink studio here. How exciting!
Let’s keep it beautiful, *glamorous, fantastic, magical, fun, delightful, and, oh yes, pink! 💖
