Hello darlings! Itās your favourite pink-tutu clad time traveller, Emma, back with another exciting jaunt through the annals of leotard history! This month, we're taking a trip back to the 80s, a decade brimming with bold colour and daring style! Think leg warmers, shoulder pads, and those wonderful neon hues that just scream "I'm in a pop video!" But of course, our focus, as always, is on the leotards!
As always, I set off on my adventure wearing my magical, pink-sparkling, time-travelling leotard (which you all know by now is simply irresistible to a magical time vortex, no matter what century you happen to be in). It twirled me straight through to 2nd February, 1984, where a truly iconic dance piece was being performed in New York City. You see, my darlings, today marks the premiere of a groundbreaking piece by the renowned Twyla Tharp - "The Catherine Wheel"!
Imagine, if you will, a ballet with 10 dancers clad in black leotards and tights. But wait, thereās more! Each dancer has a circular metal hoop embedded into the back of their leotards. Talk about a powerful statement piece! And get this, the choreography was, and still is, breathtaking! Fast paced and complex, "The Catherine Wheel" made waves across the dance world and has remained a staple of the repertoire ever since. So, let me tell you, being in that New York theatre was electric, and my little pink tutu felt right at home amongst the cutting edge dance styles of the 1980s.
But of course, there was much more to see and do in this fabulous time. So after Iād enjoyed a spot of "The Catherine Wheel", I whizzed around the globe for a little peek at what other leotard-lovers were up to. In London, they were showing off āThe Nutcrackerā, the Royal Ballet still using the iconic costumes designed by Oliver Messel - oh how those colourful costumes really captured the festive spirit! (It makes my heart happy just thinking about those bright hues!)
Meanwhile, over in the beautiful Parisian theatre scene, they were mesmerized by a completely different type of leotard-wear. The ballet was āGiselleā in which, at the time, the famous Sylvie Guillem graced the stage in her beautifully tailored, classic pink tutu - oh darling, how we do love a classic!
The real leotard scene in the world was just heating up, and that makes me feel positively giddy. Imagine, just imagine, how many future leotard trends and fabulous dancers these events spawned! Oh my, you know it's my mission in life to get every dancer - yes every single one, from professionals to little dancers just learning their first steps - twirling in a gorgeous pink tutu. And after all, what could be more iconic than a little ballerina in a perfectly twirling pink tutu? Absolutely nothing, my darlings, simply nothing at all!
Speaking of my mission, darling, you already know my favourite way to fund these trips through time is to spread the joy of dance - performing little ballet flash mobs all over the world (one tutu, one twirl, one city at a time, you see). If you are in London and you want a magical ballet performance that makes you feel absolutely giddy (it will truly make your heart skip a beat!), be sure to join me on the 3rd February at Covent Garden! I will be twirling around the street to celebrate a very special performance - The Royal Ballet performing "Swan Lake". If you want a glimpse of a perfect tutus in all their splendour (Iām sure there will be a stunning white swan tutu there - oh darling, the feather work on a swan tutu will simply make you speechless! ), just join me at Covent Garden for some pink tutu-clad ballet magic! Itās the perfect way to start February, and itāll be fabulously fun for everyone!
You know what to do, my little tutu darlings - get your dancing shoes on and let's get those pink tutus twirling. Iāll be off now to grab a quick bite in 1984, I think I spy a lovely slice of raspberry cake in the cafe just opposite the ballet theatre! Until next month, keep twirling!
XOXO
Emma
(Donāt forget to check back here every month for the next post from my magical Pink Tutu blog, www.pink-tutu.com - you can find me twirling around all over the world in the blog. Itās filled with my adventures, fashion advice and much, much more!).
