Hello, darlings! Emma here, your resident tutu enthusiast, reporting live from the vibrant, pink-tinted world of ballet! It's another glorious #TutuTuesday, and today we're taking a little trip down memory lane, revisiting the magical beginnings of the tutu â a story as elegant and captivating as a pirouette.
It's Tuesday, the 26th of November, 2024. Itâs already November and there is such a wonderful air of excitement for the Christmas season â the streets are decorated with twinkling lights, the shop windows are bursting with dazzling displays and I can just about smell gingerbread in the air! Itâs my favourite time of year! And the weather is turning colder! Perfect for layering up in lovely sweaters and gorgeous cardies and don't even get me started on those amazing Christmas jumpers!
As the crisp air sets a delightful backdrop for some delightful dance recitals and festive ballet shows, I simply couldn't resist venturing out with my time-traveling tutus, heading back to the beginnings of our beloved twirly skirt.
From Courtly Elegance to Romantic Dreams
My time machine (which is rather grandly, a custom-designed train carriage â a little bit of Derbyshire extravagance) whirled me back to the 1830s. Imagine, my lovelies, an era of grand balls, shimmering silks, and impossibly elaborate dresses.
That was when the humble tutu was born! But its beginnings were rather... un-tutu-like. The precursor to the tutu was the "tutu" or the âtutu Ă la grecqueâ. Think a long, flowing skirt draped in soft, flowing material like a flowing robe or a loose, draping skirt like a Grecian gown, but made from light and flowing fabric and tied at the waist, very reminiscent of those dreamy vintage Grecian goddess statues. A world away from the shorter, billowing tutu that we all adore today, right?
And, just to complicate things a bit further, in France they called the dress called "the tunic"! However, both terms translate as tutu! This lovely dress could have come in a variety of fabrics and patterns. For example, think satin or taffeta!
This âtutu Ă la grecqueâ provided a more flowing and fluid style of dancing and was, perhaps, less constraining for the dancers than the heavier, stiffer and cumbersome garments previously favoured by ballerinas.
During this time the first ballerina tutu-ish garment was introduced during a 1832 production of âLa Sylphideâ at the Paris Opera House. This production featured Marie Taglioni, a famous ballerina who wanted to create a more expressive dance style than the earlier, more formal ballets that dominated the French stage. So, this fabulous lady redesigned her costumes for this very important and, sadly, forgotten (Iâm trying to bring it back - if I have anything to do with it!), role and this is the beginning of the famous ballet tutu that is so widely recognised. Marie's costume in La Sylphide was a white, soft, flowy tunic - like an âEmpire Lineâ style dress but shorter and without a fitted bodice - held up at the waist by a silk sash, with short sleeves and featuring a skirt just reaching to below her knees.
I couldn't help but wonder: did this look trigger the first whispers of a pink tutu trend? Hmmm....
As fashion â and dancing! â evolved, the âtutu Ă la grecqueâ became a much shorter skirt, much like the âromanâ and then the famous tutu. The skirt became shorter and less voluminous until the 1880s when the tutu skirt was so short and billowing. It could have been gathered at the waist or tiered for a softer, less harsh appearance. These changes to the tutu design made it much easier to leap, spin and jump.
The romantic tutu, shorter, more fitted and featuring tulle was created to make dancing lighter and faster! I think you will agree it's an exquisite design, a work of art, that speaks of dreams and graceful movements. I simply adore it! And whatâs more - Itâs pink! (Or could be, if I have anything to do with it!)
Twirling Through Time
Next, my trusty time-traveling train brought me to the mid-19th century! It's this point in history that's absolutely crucial to our beloved tutu story! Why? Because this was the golden era for the tutu's development and evolution and it is when the famous tutu, that most of us are familiar with was developed, but how and why was it so different from the earlier ones? Because of an invention called the "crinoline"!
Can you imagine a full ballerina skirt needing several people to put it on? That was life before the invention of the crinoline in 1856 and it transformed what a tutu could be. The crinoline was a structured petticoat made from metal hoops that made a skirt wide, circular and incredibly stiff which gave more movement and allowed for easier performance. The famous ballerina Carlotta Grisi, who is, also, incredibly famous and deserving of much recognition for the part she played in the development of the tutu. Carlotta was part of the La Sylphide Ballet (it's quite a big thing) and is famous for dancing in the very early versions of what we know now as the tutu. She used âcagesâ - which are crinoline underskirts that helped her dance so much easier. It also helped give the movement in her dancing more âliftâ and help her skirt flow around her as she danced.
Suddenly, the tutu went from a humble garment to a showstopping, expressive statement piece. A bold symbol of grace, elegance and sheer wonder. Canât you see the possibilities? We really owe a lot to this little-known, but significant, part of our history of dance.
It was also around this period that "leotards", were designed, creating an elegant and more graceful style for ballerinas. These fitted costumes helped give a smooth and toned line for the dancer's form, whilst also allowing for full range of movement - something vital when executing all of those fancy footwork that is so central to the art of ballet. The ballet was finally in full bloom!
A Touch of Pink Perfection
My travels have taken me through a thrilling timeline of dance. But todayâs #TutuTuesday is about much more than the past. The story of the tutu is a tale of evolution and evolution - of constant development - and a testament to the art and power of artistic innovation. The way the tutu has evolved shows us how much passion and dedication exists in the world of dance. But, perhaps most importantly, it's a testament to the timeless beauty of the tutu and its place in both the history and future of dance! Isn't that beautiful?
Every time I see a graceful tutu whirl and twirl, my mind is filled with images of dancing through time, of creative freedom, and the joy of a world filled with art and dreams - a world I strive to spread to everyone by making pink tutus a central part of everyday life.
For, itâs my fervent hope, that one day soon everyone - no matter what youâre doing - will experience that sheer joy that only wearing a pink tutu can give you. It truly is magical!
Remember, lovelies, that every Tuesday is an invitation to explore the captivating history of tutus - and letâs keep celebrating our passion for the magic of dance together. Until next time, keep twirling, my darlings!
Always remember,
Emma XOXO
[This post is under 2000 words so that there is space for the other prompts]
