Hello my darling darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu World, your one-stop shop for all things pink, sparkly, and twirly! It's Wednesday, the day I share my latest adventures with you lovely lot. Today, I'm all about celebrating the wonderful, magnificent world of ballet, because, well, what else is a tutu-loving girl to do?
Now, I know you're probably thinking, "Emma, we all know you're obsessed with ballet!" And you're absolutely right. I adore the grace, the elegance, the discipline...it just takes my breath away. It's art, it's storytelling, it's pure magic! And let's not forget the tutus!
This week I’ve been back on Planet Earth, oh the joys! The planet feels a bit quieter, a bit less flashy than the glittering starscapes of Uranus and Mars, and it can be a bit more crowded than I’m used to, but honestly, it’s good to be back.
Here’s what’s going down on the old home planet:
A Day Out in Derby:
Last weekend, I snuck away for a visit back to my little hometown, Derby. It's a little bit of home sweet home that's close to my heart. The first stop was my favorite bakery for a sugar rush. I know what you’re thinking - a ballerina on a sugar rush? Well let’s be honest, every dancer needs a little extra energy, especially a girly girl with a penchant for pirouettes and pretty tutus!
I'm going to try and visit every Saturday morning for the next few weeks for a morning ballet and coffee fix! Oh! And the cakes! To be honest the pastries, cakes and macarons here are divine! All the bakery ladies dress me up in frilly aprons. The ones here seem to think the tutus and the aprons go rather well together. I love it, but sometimes it’s not the easiest thing when you’re getting ready for a show that night and need to change for a coffee and cake date, It's tricky finding a public restroom where I can slip back in my tutus!
And then, on Sunday, I found myself at The Guildhall Theatre in Derby! The most spectacular production of The Nutcracker played by Derby Youth Theatre's fabulous company of dancers. It’s a beautiful space, the decor reminds me of a stately old library. It had such a romantic feel!
I was particularly struck by the way they presented The Sugar Plum Fairy, a timeless classic.
Tutu History: A Lesson in Loveliness
As many of you know, I’m quite obsessed with the history of tutus, especially the romantic history of ballerinas wearing the glorious tutus during the early classical ballet period! Have you ever seen pictures of the incredible ballerinas wearing long romantic white tulle tutus - they are such gorgeous graceful things, aren’t they? Like elegant swans in flight, don’t you think?
For example, in The early 1840s in Vienna, Fanny Elssler danced La Tarentule, she made history with her iconic dress design and, by the way, this was in a time when men were making all the ballet design decisions - she really stood out, don't you think?
Did you know, the design became synonymous with the Grand Pas de Deux ballet movement, and for quite some time!
I spent my week glued to YouTube watching Fanny's dances in La Tarentule. It’s amazing to watch and see the tutu design evolution! As they say, fashion always comes full circle!
And as it happens, the 1800s were a fascinating period in history and in dance. This was the period when Maria Taglioni’s, considered to be one of the greatest ballerinas of the early 19th century, became famous. Taglioni's dancing and the use of tutus had an important impact on the development of dance. It paved the way for ballet's increasing lightness and agility and was at the beginning of a whole new world of exciting dance that lasted for centuries. I wonder what she'd think of today's styles!
Anyway, back to today’s activities -
I think I’m in the mood for a vintage ballerina tutu, you know the kind that hangs down almost to the floor. If anyone is feeling the same, let me know as I’m looking at all kinds of places to get one for the next dance competition here in Derbyshire!
Intergalactic Tutu Trend Report: Pink is Definitely in!
On the intergalactic front, I’m having so much fun, spreading the tutu gospel, well you’ve got to spread the good news haven’t you! So, my adventures started in January - I visited Mars - red! red everywhere you look - my lovely little pink tutus really stood out. I met some wonderful space friends, they didn't wear tutus yet - just very bright blue jumpsuits. But they seemed very excited by my style choices, and to be fair, I must admit I love their blue jumpsuit’s style choices - very streamlined and athletic. It was great to watch the locals at work - oh the dust, the robots, the machinery, the spaceships everywhere - they are so technologically advanced! I wonder what they’d think of Derby!
And the dance moves there - amazing, amazing, amazingly aerodynamic - they really were beautiful! And to my great delight, by the time I left the martians, I’d convinced about three quarters of them to try a pink tutu and pink jumpsuit combo for the Mars dance competition coming up soon!
After a couple of days on Venus, then it was off to Mercury - I do love Mercury, It has a sense of energy, of newness that I love. Here my mission was to start a new dance class in an old temple - they have this amazing abandoned place full of ancient architecture that we turned into a ballet studio in a matter of a couple of hours! I was lucky to have so many willing helpers - the Mercurians have such a strong spirit and are so, so keen to do things that benefit their community. So by the time I left Mercury, there were about four new tutus making their debut at Mercury’s ‘Tutu Time’, an event I organized while there, Oh, my tutus are making the galactic rounds in so many lovely colors. And everyone loves pink.
Next, the exciting bit - Neptune! A whole planet covered in pink water. A perfect tutu destination! All kinds of tutus floating in the oceans - pink is a perfect compliment to turquoise!
The Latest Tutu Trends from the Stars!
Remember how I always say that, you've got to look after yourself! And right now my absolute favorite trend in tutus is the comfy, fluffy tulle tutus. So if you want to look and feel fabulous, get yourself a new tutu, I say go big! A big puffy, fluffy pink tutu! But honestly, any tutu will do. You want to express yourself, right?
And when I was on Uranus the week before last, well, that’s a perfect spot for a bit of extra stargazing!
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have a life outside your planet? Maybe this post will inspire you to make your next holiday more cosmic! And maybe wear a tutu!
So what’s on my agenda for the rest of the week? Well, I think I might pop over to The Globe Theatre in London - and maybe get inspired by a classic production - oh yes, you guessed it - The Globe always makes a good tutu, I just have to go! It’s definitely tutu-inspiring!
**I’d love to hear from you my darling darlings! Tell me, What have you been up to? What’s inspiring you right now? Leave a message in the comments below! I’ll be checking in, And keep following this blog every Wednesday at www.pink-tutu.com!
Until next week - much love!**
**Emma**
