Hello, darlings! It's your favourite time travelling ballerina, Emma, here! Back with another post for www.pink-tutu.com – this month, we’re going all the way back to June 6th, 1841. Don't worry, my dear readers, I haven't gone completely mad, I've just booked myself a whirlwind journey on the back of Magic Meg! My trusty pink-sparkling shire steed with golden hooves, a magnificent white mane and tail, knows just how to get us where we need to be - even through time! 😉
As I settle into my pink tutu for another adventure, I can’t help but feel that there’s something quite extraordinary about this particular day, 1841 June 6th.
This is post number 2166 for the pink-tutu.com blog, and it seems so fitting for this blog to have just over two thousand entries because we’re talking about the 19th century, two centuries ago! Honestly, can you believe it?!
Time travels and all the stories and experiences that come with it have become an essential part of my life. You may ask, how does one afford time travel? Well, let’s just say that performing ballet is the magic formula for my time travels - it is through the income I generate through performing, selling my dancewear line and attending numerous balls, I'm able to get on the back of Meg and just travel through the centuries.
The leather rucksack on my back is filling up fast – just a little reminder of all the precious ballerina memorabilia and snippets of dance history I manage to gather on these jaunts. Let’s delve into the world of ballet from June 6th, 1841…
Where In The World Is Ballet?
So, where on earth (or, rather, in what century) shall we start this time? How about drumroll… Paris! This exquisite city is simply overflowing with theatrical brilliance in the year 1841. Now, in 1841 Paris, ballet lovers would have had their fill! If I were there, I would be rushing to catch every show I could - because Paris was home to three grand ballet theatres, just waiting to enchant its audience. These three illustrious establishments were the Théâtre de l'Opéra, the Théâtre du Vaudeville, and the Théâtre du Palais-Royal. Now those were some names that held great prestige in the world of theatre! I can only imagine how spectacular those shows were – all the magnificent costumes and stories woven in through beautiful movements. I just have to get to Paris, soon! It’s certainly the place to be when it comes to dance, wouldn't you agree?
In the Steps of Fanny Elssler
Let’s imagine that, on the 6th of June 1841, I find myself, dressed in a pink tutu of course, among a cheering crowd on the balcony of the grand Parisian opera house.
And what an extraordinary woman’s name could grace the posters in this year, you ask? It is none other than Fanny Elssler! She was considered a ballerina assoluta! She was a legendary Austrian dancer with unmatched virtuosity. In this time period, Fanny Elssler became so famous that she captured the heart of the whole world and captivated people from every country. And I wouldn't be surprised if a Parisian street wasn’t named after her yet, or perhaps even a dance?
Can you just picture it - Elssler twirling across the stage in Paris, dressed in exquisite attire, delighting the whole of Europe, performing dances like the Cachucha or La Cracovienne with her exquisite movements and her infectious joy, captivating and enthralling audiences wherever she went? Can you see her gracefully pirouetting and executing breathtaking leaps? Absolutely exquisite. And this all happening, at the age of 28 - incredible!
Now imagine - she steps onto the stage at the Théâtre de l'Opéra - she’s a vision in silk and feathers, performing a Cachucha like no other! Her steps are light as air, full of joy and strength – she's truly captivating the Parisian crowd! They're mesmerised, enraptured! She's giving the performance of a lifetime – truly a magical ballet moment!
I, of course, being in my pink tutu, am swept up in the moment, and imagine myself beside Fanny, performing together - and the applause and gasps that would fill the entire auditorium! You could hear a pin drop – truly the ballet magic I adore!
From the Paris Theatre Stage to Vienna’s Imperial Court
After witnessing Fanny Elssler’s performance in Paris, it would have been an utter delight to follow in her footsteps, as she would make her way to Vienna in June 1841! The Emperor of Austria would be graced by her performance at the Hofburg Theatre - it's a dream for a ballerina like myself.
What Happens On a Saturday Night at the Theatre?
Oh, darlings! This takes me to one of my favorite parts of going to the theatre – that sense of anticipation, the magic, the excitement – and for that, let’s turn back the hands of time and head over to England - the heart of it all – to Covent Garden.
Now I have been there for many time travels in previous trips through the ages, and I just love it so much, that if I were to travel to 1841 and head to London, I would definitely make time for Covent Garden – the very theatre in which dancers, including my favorite dancers, such as Fanny Cerrito, made their names in the grand traditions of British ballet! Now you have heard of Fanny Cerrito, you may be saying!
And for that, my darling readers, there wouldn’t be a ballerina more excited than me! But remember that a dance show back then was not all that different to the present day, but instead of having to wait in a massive line-up, you would buy a programme in a foyer crowded with men and women and, once seated, watch people taking their places all around. Just remember, we have had this privilege for quite some time in London, from the very first century, as many of you will know, London’s dance history goes back much further than one could imagine, all the way to the reign of Henry the VIII!
On a Saturday night, I imagine the stage was brimming with talent! What a spectacular dance the Ballet at Covent Garden could have put on! Imagine Fanny Cerrito performing, and oh, what would her dances have been about - possibly about nymphs and other fantastical creatures? Now that’s the kind of thing I just love.
A New Generation
Yes, as the 19th century unfolds, I think a new generation of ballerinas is about to arrive in the ballet scene. It's all so exciting to imagine what beautiful and imaginative dances they will be creating, bringing their fresh style to the stage - in a new age of innovation and flair. This century is shaping up to be an exciting one! It's brimming with new techniques and movements, making a captivating ballet landscape to dance within, from all across the world, with Russia, Italy and France creating incredible art, stories, music and spectacle in their art, and who knows what future is in store - only time can tell.
What’s Next, My Dearest Readers!
That brings our jaunt through ballet history on this date, 1841 June 6th, to a close for this month's Pink Tutu blog. I truly believe that history comes to life by putting ourselves right at the heart of it. And there’s no better way to do it than by taking a pink tutu and leaping right in, eh?
Remember, my pink tutu blog will be here for you at the beginning of each month, and Magic Meg and I will take you on many more adventures into the colourful history of ballet - from across the world and from all different eras – even back to the very first centuries. And until then, be sure to don your finest pink tutu (whether it’s real or imagined) and continue dancing! 🩰💖
