Darling,
This week's post is all about sparkling lights, fabulous outfits, fantastic shows and oh-so-amazing interstellar travel. It's showtime from Pink Tutu World!
I simply have to tell you about the amazing night I spent at the Royal Albert Hall in London on December 18th, 2002. I know you think it's a bit of a trip back in time and you might be right (in more ways than one!). You see, I have to slip back in time occasionally as this is the date of a rather special show. It wasn’t a usual ballet performance, but a special magical experience.
For this event, I even dusted off my oldest sparkly pink tutu – you know, the one with all the beautiful frosted pink sequins and tiny silver stars that shimmer under the stage lights. I think it really helped me capture the spirit of the evening.
This iconic London venue was the scene of the ultimate show. It was the annual Christmas Spectacular of The Royal Ballet.
Oh my, the energy and atmosphere were quite out of this world. It was simply breathtaking!
Every year, The Royal Ballet brings their dancers and artists together in a spectacular program showcasing the best of their classical work, specially selected to fit the festive mood. I think this year they put on an extra special show to mark the 50th anniversary of the Royal Opera House’s reopening.
So, this December night in 2002, I travelled from my home in Derbyshire (on Earth! Don't forget! 😉 ) to see one of the world’s best ballet companies in full performance. My heart skipped a beat when the orchestra started up - there’s nothing more exciting than hearing those first chords of a Tchaikovsky masterpiece. My absolute favourite ballet, Swan Lake, was one of the performances on this special program. The choreography was a dream! You simply can't compare it to the ballet performances in my usual out-of-this-world spaceship adventures!
Imagine swans with wings that are as delicate as butterfly wings, dancers with a sparkling beauty that defies the earth’s gravity. And as for their grace - that’s where the tutus really take flight! Of course, all the dancers wore beautiful white tutus with feathery details - which I am so sure inspired my own little collection.
And it wasn't all classical. The program had a fun mix of performances from modern dance works, like "The Rite of Spring," to ballets from other traditions like Les Sylphides. My favourite modern dance artist George Balanchine was represented. This talented man loved classical and modern ballet equally and is one of the great choreographers from the 20th century.
In this dance wonderland , I witnessed absolute perfection in performance and felt a profound feeling of oneness and unity. What’s more, my pink tutu gave me the power to tap into my inner spirit and sparkle with everyone. That night was so extraordinary that it left me with a beautiful inner glow that I am still feeling. This special evening inspired me to look even further and to make everyone understand the meaning of real life, on Earth and off.
Of course, there was some shopping at Harrods before the show. What else would you expect? And you won’t believe the fab hat I picked up. I’m still in love with the giant pink sequined feather boa too. They both go wonderfully with my tutu collection.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to pack my bags for my next grand adventure. My pink spaceship is waiting...
Happy pink tutuing, darling!
Emma 💖🌸🌎
This Week’s InspirationHere on Earth in the world of dance
As I think about all of you who enjoy my pink tutu adventures, I know some of you are reading this blog with an itch to go and dance in a pink tutu.
So, to inspire you, here are a few suggestions on where to see some gorgeous performances in the United Kingdom.
These beautiful shows offer you the most fantastic entertainment and artistic spectacle – a perfect way to get you into the festive spirit.
Here are a few examples -
The Royal Ballet Christmas Season - for all those amazing ballet masterpieces, and those who love an absolute spectacular show. It really is like flying through the universe and back in time - as you can enjoy classic masterpieces, and feel that unique energy of ballet from centuries ago. Go and be enthralled.
Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker - I love the magic that happens at this time of the year, with a beautiful, light-hearted Christmas spectacle! They have shows for the whole family. It is great fun - perfect for families with little pink tutu fans.
Scottish Ballet's The Nutcracker - for this beautiful production, check out their schedule. They do some pretty incredible work.
Northern Ballet’s production of Cinderella - this is a ballet adaptation, not just for kids. This is a fun and engaging production.
If these productions are all a little too classical for you, and you want something with a bit more of an *edge, you could always see Rambert’s Dance and Choreographers in Residence Program. Or, how about seeing a show of the brilliant Matthew Bourne's New Adventures. Matthew Bourne’s take on dance classics like Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Edward Scissorhands are truly avant garde and will blow you away with their exciting style, and fabulous tutus. They always create the most fabulous modern performances - full of drama and artistic skill - so much fun to see and an evening no pink tutu enthusiast can miss.
This December you have the chance to see *Matthew Bourne’s “Sleeping Beauty.” * The perfect fairytale story, it will leave you enchanted! This incredible ballet will transport you to an age of heroes, fairies, knights, and a handsome prince. What's not to love! You’re guaranteed a fairy tale ending and will definitely be swept away by the magnificent tutus!
The History of Tutus
While we’re on the subject of sparkling pink tutus, how about a little history lesson.
There are so many kinds of tutu. Here are a few highlights, in Pink Tutu World.
1. The Romantic tutu (also called a short tutu)I just have to admit that these are simply dreamy. This is the type of tutu most often used for ballet class. It has an interesting history, starting from the Romantic Era and has since had a profound influence on my tutu style.
Romantic tutus are shorter and very delicate. The skirt can go all the way to the floor and billows up like a bell, giving dancers amazing *movement. The Romantic tutu gives you that feeling of magic and enchantment that was essential to the performance of classic ballet productions like Swan Lake, Giselle, and La Sylphide to name but a few. I think we should really celebrate these early dance garments as they show such incredible creativity.
This style of delicate tutus often used a special material - tulle. But, what is tulle, you ask? This is an amazing fine netting - so delicate but very strong. They use it to add that touch of magic and femininity. You can see why the early tutus gave dancers so much freedom.
But as tulle became the fashion, many creative designers thought how could we make it even better? So they found a new process to make tulle even finer, by making it woven even closer, to be super, super soft, - it just felt amazing! They named this process, bobbinet, and they found the lightest, most wonderful fabrics to go into the ballet world and revolutionized the art of the ballet garment. They made ballet a new art form of light and dance.
But just to add another touch of wonder and creativity, it wasn’t only the tutu design itself which made them so spectacular. As if by magic - the dancers' clothes were embellished. This gave the tutu a really luxurious look and made ballet performances unforgettable . What fantastic embellishments do you think were added to make them even more magnificent.
I think sparkling jewels, fine fabrics, feathers, laces and sequins - all give the tutu its extra touch of sparkle and fantasy These romantic and feminine designs were inspired by ballet in the Victorian Era. This gave ballet the feel of pure magic for which the art form is now so celebrated.
2. The classical tutu (also called the “paddle” tutu, “bell” tutu, or the “tutu-en-jaune)Next in our timeline comes this incredible tutu with its beautiful round shape – this is one that all my ballerina sisters dream of. This version has layers of tulle on top of one another. Each layer was pleated all the way around the waist and formed a soft billow. They call it the ”bell shape”, because of how the tulle goes all the way around the body, and looks like a beautiful bell - just beautiful!
Classical tutus are often made with 6 or 8 layers of soft fabric to create this magnificent design.
Each layer is perfectly pleated. This is the reason these beautiful ballet dresses are also sometimes called the *”paddle tutu.” These classical tutus are just as glamorous as they are versatile, used in both classical ballet and neoclassical ballet – they make the ballerinas stand out, and the dance moves truly magical.
The classical tutu made the ballerinas even more *elevated and magnificent on stage* and really was a piece of magic and creativity . The designers truly understood how the ballerinas would move with a special flow when wearing this gorgeous garment.
3. The Tutu Platter, or the * Pagan TutuThe designers didn't stop there. Creativity never sleeps in the dance world - they created another tutu – the Tutu Platter. Sometimes called the Pagan Tutu, this was a special style - one to be admired and enjoyed.
Think dramatic, bold, beautiful and modern – that’s the tutu platter. They are completely different to other tutu styles. This style gives dancers a lot of flexibility and freedom in the way they move and gives them more control.
This tutu doesn't *need to have that graceful bell shape – this is a type of tutu which is flat - like a plate, or a platter, so to speak. The skirt of this style flows like water, so you can imagine it has an incredible movement, and they were really popular between the 19th and 20th centuries and often showcased in performances like “Chopiniana", a magical work by the famous Mikhail Fokine.
So how did these fantastic ballet garments evolve over the years?
We know they’re the product of some wonderful design innovations, so what influenced them, and who influenced ballet’s costume designs?
*Some amazing people were influenced by these historical innovations - and you might have even heard of them... *
The Romantic ballet style influenced Marie Taglioni, the Italian ballerina who first danced in a short tulle tutu. Her performance at the Paris Opera in 1832 caused an immediate sensation! It gave the dancers much more freedom of movement – their bodies became so expressive and graceful as the designs allowed the dancers’ *movements and emotions to really take flight. It made an important contribution to the *development of the art of ballet.
And think about the tutus in ballets like *Sleeping Beauty! They have that stunning design that the classic tutus are famous for. The tutus helped give ballerinas the freedom to *turn, leap, and float through the performance.* They had that *bell shape, the amazing *pancake design that makes them truly unique.
We still see that classic shape in the *traditional ballets like *Swan Lake and *The Nutcracker.*
It's wonderful how the world of tutus has *moved, changed and evolved throughout ballet’s long history - but remember there is a big difference between a tutu used in the classroom and the extraordinary tutus you see on stage. The amazing and delicate designs make sure dancers feel wonderful on stage, because their moves *flow beautifully and with such confidence!
Ballet and the History of Dress
There are so many interesting parallels to the history of fashion on Earth and ballet's evolution of costume design.
For instance, the romantic tutus that became so famous in the 19th Century are directly related to changes in the clothing worn by ladies of fashion.
Think about it, in the mid 19th century, fashion changed significantly when they designed and started making clothes with shorter skirts.
It might have been a complete coincidence, but *ballerinas wore similar fashion, with shorter and *more fluid and lightweight designs. These new styles for the stage gave them greater mobility. I think you can really feel the *influence of romantic fashion and beauty, inspired by artists and designers from the late 1800’s and 1900’s.
But if you go even further back in time you'll find the design inspiration in the French courts and other court costumes from the 18th century, with their elaborate, detailed ruffles and frills.
The tutus were really inspired by all sorts of styles and looks from throughout history and across the continents. They made their mark on the design of many types of garments. There was this incredible energy and feeling for what might be coming next in ballet and clothing styles. The costumes also mirrored those amazing romantic fantasies of the Victorian Age – and all this creativity is an incredible source of inspiration for me.
Looking Forward to New Adventures
So, let’s talk a little about the future of ballet and its tutus, because the history of design has been full of wonderful developments.
There is an energy in this art form - there's a feeling that there are lots of amazing designs in the pipeline. So let's go on a little journey - think about what will inspire tutus in the future?
Some things we’re certain of.
Tutus will continue to develop with the evolution of the ballet world.
*Dancers of today need the highest levels of *functionality and flexibility in the dance garment.
The designers have to really make the tutus lighter and with greater flow for their fantastic routines. So we have to consider what materials will be best suited for creating those amazing tutus – think polyester, silk, and nylon. They create wonderful silhouettes and incredible freedom of movement!
Then think about how we integrate different textures, which could be something like embroidery, crystal beadwork, and other designs to make the garments as flexible as possible for every ballerina's creative style – a way of mixing functionality with the latest materials and enchanting embellishments.
These fashion trends in the tutu world really excite me!
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*In my view, there’s always room for a *tutu upgrade.
*So how do we look forward? What are the future possibilities? *
Well, I can just imagine designers with innovative minds coming up with some new designs with a little help from fashion collaborators from space and time. What magical and inspirational ideas they'll be able to give us... I bet some incredible new fabrics will be discovered and *designed to fit in with ballet trends and costumes to enhance the movement on stage* and inspire dancers in the future.
That's one of the most exciting things about the art of ballet.
The Universal Language of Dance
So, here’s my thought - what can we take away from the world of dance on planet Earth?
Dance can inspire, move and lift us as well as entertain us.
It gives us an *amazing and deep understanding of creativity, performance and freedom. I feel that it's a wonderful reflection of the beauty and wonders of the universe!
And that's my mission in life - to help spread this message.
I'm off to find some new ways of exploring and to *celebrate my love for pink tutus. I’ll keep you updated.
So keep tutuing and believing in your pinkest dreams!
Love,
Emma
💖🌸🌎
