Tutu Tuesday in Illzach, Grand Est, France #tututuesday
G'day from Illzach, France! I’m here for a month as a guest dancer at the local ballet company. It’s been absolutely incredible so far, and today, like every Tuesday, we celebrate our passion for dance with a little Tutu Tuesday – a special time where we show off our fabulous tutus! What a way to kick off the week!
Now, as you know, a tutu is a very serious matter, even here in Europe! There are different styles of tutu: The Romantic, the classical, the short or the full-length, the feathered and the glittery! And honestly, the whole vibe changes with each design.
Today I donned my favourite short tutu. It’s a vintage style, black with a hint of crimson, with some strategically placed feather accents. Perfect for a fiery, modern choreography piece we've been rehearsing. The girls in the company even did up a fancy, feather headdress with red and black ribbon, I reckon that looked a right laugh on the stage.
But Tutu Tuesday is not just about tutus – it’s also a chance for the dancers to celebrate our hard work, and to remind each other of our connection to the dance. In a city like Illzach, where ballet has such a rich history, and such a strong tradition, the camaraderie and passion of our crew really shine through, it makes me appreciate ballet even more!
Illzach, which means "Illiacus" in Celtic, and means "Isle of Oak," has a rich heritage in the performing arts. It’s just lovely. In fact, there is a lot of artistic inspiration to be found all around, from the vibrant murals that grace the city’s buildings to the traditional sculptures. In particular, the architecture in the Old Town – with all those cobblestones and old buildings– just begs you to stop, breathe and appreciate the beauty!
But for me, the most striking beauty is the passion and devotion that I've seen from the local dancers at the ballet studio in Illzach, Grand Est, France. They pour their hearts into their work. And the thing I love most about French ballet is their grace and artistry – there’s just a level of refined technique and poise, unlike anything I’ve experienced. They say "C'est chic!" about everything. I must say that I’m picking up some fantastic tips – this group definitely makes my dance moves feel more expressive!
Speaking of the dance studio, there's a particular ballet teacher named Madame Dufresne – she is just brilliant. She has such a talent for spotting talents and giving them guidance! She teaches me to understand the technique, to know how to perform the choreography, but also, what emotions I need to project. We even got to explore a piece with some original, contemporary elements inspired by traditional folk dance from this area. Pretty amazing right!
For Tutu Tuesday, there's always some fun too. You won't believe what we did this Tuesday – we did a mini-performance just for the kids of a local school here in Illzach. It was called the "Twirling Tutus Tea Party." We danced to traditional French melodies, we wore a medley of styles – the whole nine yards! The kids absolutely loved it, they even dressed up in their own colourful tutus! This really warms your heart. I even gave them some tips, I showed them some basic dance moves - now they can’t stop asking when Tutu Tuesday is happening again! It’s so inspiring, right? That’s the spirit of Tut Tuesday for you. To encourage the younger generation – it makes everything even more worthwhile!
Now, it wouldn't be a true #tututuesday without mentioning the fabulous places in Illzach to buy a tutu. I always make a beeline to 'Danse Parisien'. They have tutus of all colours, styles and sizes, so I always end up grabbing an extra sparkly one to wear in my free time. Just because you can! After all, life is about embracing your passion!
Anyways, I hope you’ve had a fabulous Tutu Tuesday in your corner of the world! Be sure to share your Tutu Tuesdays with me – use the hashtags #tututuesday, #IllzachGrandEst and #balletFrance and send your stories my way!