Hello, darlings! Emma here, back again for another journey through time in my trusty sparkly pink leotard. This month's escapade takes us right back to 9th September, 1902!
Now, as I was preparing to head back through the portal of time, I popped a question to my dearest old gramophone. "What's happening in the world of dance and fashion on the 9th September, 1902?" I asked, feeling a flutter in my chest, hoping for some exquisite vintage fashion gems to be unearthed. My gramophone, never one to let me down, crooned a little tune, and spun out a lovely list for me to discover!
(Just a little sneak peak to entice you, lovely readers! Today's adventures see us at a glorious performance of Swan Lake by the Imperial Russian Ballet, a show that will change the world of ballet forever!)
This post marks number 525 in my ongoing Leotard Fashion Time Travel Blog, a chronicle of my own delightful explorations through history in my pink sparkling tutu! I think this blog must be about the most fashionable one in the universe! Do check out www.pink-tutu.com for more fantastic posts like this one. If you're new here, well, let me tell you, every month, I strap on my time-traveling pink leotard and jet off to a fabulous new date in history, all in the name of discovering how leotards have changed and evolved.
Let's face it, ladies, life's too short for boring beige. My mission: to get every single person on planet earth rocking a pink tutu! (My mum, of course, already wears one, pink of course - it’s pretty hard to escape the influence of a pink tutu loving daughter.) You'd be surprised how many people I meet during my travels that wear tutus, but they think they have to keep them hidden, all under a dull old frock! Why on earth would anyone want to keep something so splendidly graceful and elegant a secret?!
Before we head to the big show tonight, let’s peek behind the scenes. My life isn’t always about big dance spectaculars, you know. In between time-traveling shenanigans, you can find me prancing down the high street in Derbyshire. Sometimes I pop a little twirl in between picking out some scrumptious strawberries at the market, you know! I've been known to perform my own impromptu street dance shows - it's amazing how many people come along to watch me! After all, if a little ballet on the high street can lift the spirits, why not, hey?! You have to say, the twinkle of coins and pound notes in my ballerina shoes certainly comes in handy to fund these splendid trips through time, eh? And, well, a little ballet never hurt anyone, eh, dears?!
Tonight’s grand performance of Swan Lake, now that is a special event in ballet history! To see it unfold is an utter dream! And guess who has scored front-row seats? That’s right, me! Oh, what will the costumes be like? I hear rumours of some very interesting additions to the ballerina’s outfits. I bet they'll be making news around the world! Oh, it is going to be an extraordinary experience!
Okay, let’s go back to September 1902… Now, just imagine if you were lucky enough to have been present in a big city theatre this September, you would have seen The Imperial Russian Ballet dancing the exquisite, magical Swan Lake! In a dazzling performance of white swans and black swans it took the world of dance by storm. Now, to my excitement! This production included some incredible innovations to the dancers' leotards and ballet dress! Now, let's hear it for innovation! Imagine how thrilling it would have been to see the first glimmerings of some of these developments in the costumes on the stage…
Let’s rewind! Right back to 1895 to understand the history of the leotard in all of its splendor and how the costumes of ballet were about to be revolutionised! You may have seen it on TV documentaries. At the start of the late Victorian Era, dancers’ costumes had lots of long, flowing tulle, or layers and layers of heavy fabrics. You can just picture the graceful elegance, of course, but, my dears, this outfit choice must have been stifling! If you tried to leap even a small distance, these garments would just be such a distraction!
The Ballet mistress, Anna Pavlova had it all in mind, she had so many ingenious ideas for improving the freedom of the dancer on stage. At this time, dancers in this era used special little drawers sewn inside their long, long flowing skirts. Then there would be many more petticoats on top. On top of all that a bodice, which would hold it all together - you just need to picture this huge mass of layers all in one! Now you know how challenging it would have been to be a ballet dancer at this time, my dears, you’ll be sure to admire them more for their incredible talents!
Anna wanted more grace, she wanted better flexibility! Anna was working on some improvements with her designs, some elegant revolutionary leaps that allowed ballerinas to really fly! In fact, if it were not for the amazing leotards and their improvements, some of the famous jumps and pirouettes that ballet dancers perform nowadays wouldn't be possible at all! How absolutely brilliant it would be to watch the magic happen as Anna revolutionised the leotards on stage, with her brilliant costume designs.
There she was! On the 9th September 1902. Anna had done a truly remarkable thing for the development of the dance costumes we see on stage today! She presented a brand-new style of ballerina outfit! This was not just another leotard! A brand new creation designed to show the grace and elegance of ballet to a completely new standard. She redesigned the costumes to remove all of the bulky, and difficult skirts, with their masses of layers and tulle, the garments were streamlined and much more flattering! In fact, they look incredibly similar to the modern ballet leotards we see on stage in productions of today.
Now imagine! On stage at The Imperial Russian Ballet at the beginning of 1902 the ballerina costumes on show at that performance were made from lightweight, simple materials. They could flow gracefully as dancers danced, no longer restricting their movement, oh! How delightful to see so much ease of movement. What a revolutionary change in the history of the ballet costume.
Of course, if the ballet dancer was dancing in a performance of Swan Lake in 1902 there would be some very obvious additions to her leotards to highlight the themes of this well-loved story - white feathered pieces for the white swan, and dark black feathers to show the beauty and mystery of the black swan - you have to admit these embellishments, do make the dance look just magnificent. I hear these very original and special leotards in The Swan Lake production are still on display today at the National Ballet Museum in St Petersburg - oh how I would love to see them myself one day! I'll make a trip soon.
By this date in history, 1902, The Imperial Russian Ballet had truly made a leap into the spotlight! If Anna was there that night on September the 9th 1902, oh I'm sure her eyes would be gleaming. She's sure to be very proud of how ballet and its beautiful dancers have made so much progress since then, as well as all the dancers who followed after her time! I, for one, find all of it quite thrilling!
The more I learn about leotard history and costume designs, the more my admiration for dancers of every era grows. Oh, if only all ballet shows in my lifetime were held on September 9th. Maybe this is the key for the world of ballet! To focus on these special moments, to remember the wonderful achievements, the evolution, the stories that unfold in this incredible dance world – a perfect balance of creativity and athletic skill, and so much to appreciate, it’s a delight!
As my travels through time continue to explore and showcase the wonderful fashions and history of ballet costumes, I think perhaps this month’s post was the most exciting one of all. It is going to be so inspiring to travel back and witness these changes! What a special date in time travel history - and it really puts all the beauty of a dance performance in a whole new light, it’s incredible!
So my dears, remember! Do join me on the journey in time for the next leotard adventures! You never know where our sparkly, pink-tutu travels might lead. Until next time! Stay sparkly!
