Post #153 - www.pink-tutu.com
Hello darling Tutus! Emma here, your trusty time-travelling ballerina from Derbyshire, back with another leotard-tastic tale from the shimmering annals of dance history! September 9th, 1871 â where do we even begin? Buckle up your ballet shoes, dear readers, as we take a delightful trip back in time to an era of corsets and grace.
Now, this might be hard to believe, but before we had leotards with magical pink sequins that could transport us through the centuries, there was this incredible invention calledâŚa train. Fancy, eh? Anyway, thanks to this technological marvel (and a rather charming conductor who told me my pink tutu was âdivineâ, you know the kind!), I found myself in the grand, bustling city of Paris! Imagine - a place where fashion was queen, and all the beautiful people strutted their stuff in outfits so extravagant youâd think they were attending a grand costume ball!
Right on cue, as my pink sparkly leotard seemed to attract the attention of every passerby (a true testament to the power of a good sparkle), I stumbled upon the Paris Opera. The very home of ballet legend Marie Taglioni! Imagine! That legendary woman who famously danced âLa Sylphideâ in the most beautiful white tulle tutus, influencing dancers and designers worldwide! Sadly, her retirement had been in 1847, so she wasnât on stage tonight, but they were putting on an adaptation of "Faust."
While the storyline seemed dramatic â witches and demons and a young man cursed with a pretty unfortunate pact (honestly, couldnât he have just, like, picked a better bargain?) â the performance was breath-taking. The dancers in their knee-length tutus (or at least thatâs what I thought of as tutus back then â just little bell shapes really, with tight fitting bodices, almost more like⌠well, just dresses!), twirled and danced in a flurry of ethereal grace. The male dancers were practically covered from head to toe! No cheeky leg shows here â just elegant trousers, and tights that definitely couldâve used a dash of modern pink! They looked every inch the dashing gentleman-ballerinos â the romance and tragedy of the story practically exuded through every gesture!
I confess, dear readers, that I could hardly resist the urge to shimmy a few steps down the grand aisle after the final curtain call. It was, you see, the year the âballet Ă blanc,â where all dancers were to be dressed entirely in white, entered its full glory, thanks to its use in productions by the Russian ballerina Marie Ivanovna Petipa and composer Ludwig Minkus.
Even if Paris wasn't yet as obsessed with the pink tulle as I am (we are just two different shades of fabulous!), there was such a beautiful harmony in their fashion choices that it just made me feel, well, I felt like twirling in the streets of Paris myself! Their colours and fabrics and lines, so graceful and elegant - like you had stepped right out of a beautiful painting!
Speaking of fashion â 1871 was the year the famed Parisian seamstress Madame Madeleine-Henriette Rouvière came into her own with her beautiful creation called the âskirtâ for dance dresses - much more fluid and fitted, and much easier to move around in. They were truly ground-breaking for their time and were about to revolutionise ballet wear. They allowed the female dancers so much more freedom and ease of movement - imagine dancing a pas de deux in one of those rigid skirts and petticoats! Now, if only theyâd embraced the vibrant colours of pink tulle and sequins we enjoy now! We could truly take the stage with an ethereal and whimsical grace that is so missing from their current ballet world, if you ask me.
Onward, my dear Tutus, letâs keep this trend for pink tutus alive! Be sure to check out the gallery of my favourite dance dresses in the gallery - a collection that brings together my own love of pink tutus and historical inspiration! Remember, pink is not just a colour â it's an attitude! So go on, darling, and let the world know what a fashionista really is!
Until next time!
P.S: I almost forgot to mention my lovely encounter with the beautiful Madame Rouvière herself. I caught her browsing a display of the latest, and oh-so-expensive, tulle materials for dancewear. Naturally, we chatted and I found out about the fascinating origins of tutus! I even inspired her to try using shades of pink! It was the ultimate compliment to my time travelling pink sequin leotard! I think, I may even have inspired Madame Rouvière to try a pink tutu with an amazing silk waistband - youâll see, darling readers, pink will soon be everywhere. Wait, what's that sound... A 'T-bird' taxi? Looks like Iâve got to go, I've got a big date to catch - and a whole world of tutus to discover!
