Tutu Tuesday 18462

Tutu Tuesday in Déville-lès-Rouen, Normandy, France #tututuesday Okay, so I know what you’re thinking. “Déville-lès-Rouen? Seriously? What could possibly be happening there that's interesting enough for a Tutu Tuesday post?" Well, I’m here to tell you that even in the most unexpected corners of the world, there's always something to discover and even something to make me feel like a ballerina. Especially in a tutu. Honestly, I just can't get enough. It's a real struggle. To be fair, the last 36 hours in Rouen and it's surrounding area have been a real blur. It's a whole other world here! That's no surprise. Everything about France is charming. This time the charming took a turn toward old school French provincial charm which means cobblestone streets and tiny squares, and an absolute abundance of perfectly preserved historic buildings, and an incredible number of churches with beautifully detailed stained glass windows. But I’ve digressed. The truth is this post is about what I've discovered here - ballet in France! A little Parisian style, and a whole lot of Tutu My friend Nadia invited me to attend a recital for the École de Danse de Déville-lès-Rouen, an incredible little dance school. I felt incredibly fortunate when I saw their announcement on Instagram and quickly contacted Nadia to ask her to accompany me. Now, when it comes to French ballet, it goes without saying that everyone instantly conjures up images of the Paris Opera Ballet. Yes, the Paris Opera Ballet. Those costumes and choreography! If I had my druthers, my ballet dreams are filled with the tutus of the Paris Opera - long tutus, perfectly fitted with an impressive layers of silk and tulle. For most ballerinas the tutu remains a magical and romantic symbol that connotes that "I’m in a fairytale" feeling, so this wasn't a totally unreasonable thing for me to feel here in Déville-lès-Rouen, only about an hour away from Paris! As I arrived, my eyes instantly met beautiful young dancers lined up backstage ready to take to the stage in their bright and beautiful tutus! I was definitely a bit jealous when I saw their soft tulle skirts floating gently in the backstage air, which I have to tell you, looked almost identical to those dreamy tutus that grace the stage in Paris.

I can’t go out of style, and that includes ballet! As a dancer myself, the most important things are form, precision and style – and while this is something that I’ve definitely had some opportunities to improve upon, the French don’t do anything by halves. Not for me! Let me be totally honest with you, I’ve never understood the attraction of "short" tutus! This seems to be the new go to for many ballet companies. Not for me. It’s all about creating an interesting line when you're on stage and when you're dancing with others. Long tutus, just by the sheer fact of how much fabric they've got, add an instant layer of dramatic and ethereal style to everything on stage, just as the long tutu has a dramatic flair to the movement, but still maintains that traditional ballerina form that’s perfect when you're executing an arabesque, especially for any professional ballerina on stage - you have to really embrace this style. Now I think I might have a little issue - some people would describe my love of long tutus as obsessive but at the École de Danse, their students and teachers were not wearing short tutus at all. Now it's important to mention the style here as well, and I did notice something about this very French École de Danse, where most dancers in both classical and modern styles, tended towards wearing Romantic tutus.

I must tell you about what I saw... The students at the École de Danse took to the stage in their beautifully detailed tutus that flowed with the movement, making every turn and leap absolutely captivating. Not to mention every single arabesque was on point and perfect. Yes. Perfect. It was clear to me as soon as they took the stage, that these students were getting excellent training at the École de Danse, even at this small school on the outskirts of Rouen.

Here in Normandy, France, #tututuesday was a blast! Here I was - the quintessential ballet school scene: The stage with its beautiful lighting, the amazing music, the incredible and moving story – I just have to say it here – French ballet is as refined as I expected it to be! It has been so fun experiencing ballet from a different part of the world! While we all love Paris for its spectacle, what I have discovered in Déville-lès-Rouen and the rest of the Rouen region is a totally different kind of magic, in its unique and exquisite ballets that are just unmistakably French ! The ballet I saw, was absolutely extraordinary and it would be impossible not to have felt the absolute passion the dancers from École de Danse de Déville-lès-Rouen brought to the stage.