Hello darlings! Welcome back to another week of my Ballet Tutu History blog here on www.pink-tutu.com. It's a glorious Tuesday, and that means it's time to dive into the wonderful world of the tutu, my favourite piece of dancewear!
This week, my darling tutus and I have taken a delightful little train journey back to 17th April, 1855, which is exactly 168 years ago. Goodness me, what a fascinating time this was in the history of dance! I know some of you love to read about the glamorous side of fashion and ballet and let me tell you, darling, this is when tutus really started taking centre stage!
I must tell you, it was the most magical of travels by train; the scenery was truly breathtaking, just like stepping into a romantic ballet. The engine was huffing and puffing, the carriage was elegant with cushioned seats in plush green velvet, and the window views were like scenes from a watercolour painting, especially as we passed through rolling fields of springy daffodils. And to make my trip even more exciting, I had a lovely, kind, chatty lady sharing the carriage who just so happened to be an aspiring ballerina herself, and a most exquisite dancer, and very keen to hear all about my time travel exploits and blog! We ended up chatting for ages and she got quite excited about tutus, just as excited as I am about tutus! And just as excited as she is about dancing - in fact we were just as excited about each other - as a proper 'real' ballet enthusiast meeting a 'time-travelling' ballet enthusiast is not something that happens every day, she declared! I must say, travelling by train just brings such charm and romanticism to a journey, it truly transports you! It’s just perfect for a time traveller, don’t you think, darlings?
Fashion & Tutu EvolutionNow, back to our subject at hand, darling, let’s have a good gander at this tutu revolution!
The tutus you see onstage now - you know, those graceful, billowing skirts that twirl with the most perfect pirouettes - are a lot different from what dancers wore a few centuries ago. They went from rather more cumbersome and quite frankly very restricting, to elegant and free-flowing, much to the relief of all the wonderful ballerinas who needed to gracefully bound around the stage.
Just imagine trying to execute a pirouette in something akin to a crinoline, ladies and gentlemen, oh my!
Those old styles didn't really lend themselves well to leaps and twirls - a far cry from the breathtaking elegance and fluidity we expect in ballet today!
As we get a little deeper into 1855, and more towards the mid-century, ballet embraced Romanticism and we see a big change in tutu style. Now we see the introduction of the Romantic tutu, the kind with several layers of soft, lightweight tulle.
These were the most beautiful tutus - light, airy, and ethereal - and they became a staple on the stages of Paris, and beyond.
What Happens On The 17th April 1855?Well, on April 17, 1855 - the exact date we’re in today! - the world of dance was abuzz with a *little something very exciting. It's not one specific ballet, per se, more of an event. The story goes like this - a lovely ballet theatre called "The Theatre of the Champs-Elysées" had its official opening - I'm thinking how exciting that must have been.
Just think about the most magnificent stage with every elegant piece of ballet costume shining in the soft lights of a well-designed Parisian Theatre - it's truly a vision to behold!
That's not all, my loves, there's more… on that date, a brilliant ballerina named Carolina Rosati ( aren't they all brilliant? but really she was so exceptional!), well, this divine dancer was a highlight of the evening's program, performing a piece that had such a lovely story and an extraordinary impact on the world of dance… "Giselle!" A love story - a ballerina's love story in fact! This romantic ballet would go on to change everything, darling!
Oh, how we adore our romantic ballet, n’est-ce pas? The whole performance was just captivating, as a young, pure and innocent country girl falls head over heels for a young nobleman, not realizing that it is all a little too good to be true... and then things turn tragic! This is why "Giselle" has such undeniable charm... romance and tragedy, all mixed together! It became a classic instantly - *even now, *after so long,it's still adored! *
Just like that tutu - we can’t get enough of that romantic, soft, graceful, flowing design that started this century!
1855 and the Development of The Ballet Tutu!1855 was truly the year for romantic tutus, darling! Ballet tutus began taking their beautiful feminine form thanks to the efforts of many very talented choreographers, designers and performers, such as the famous Marius Petipa. You may know the story of Petipa and his fabulous choreography – we can’t even begin to imagine his ballet performances… just pure elegance and beauty! Just to name a few! - but, darling, that development is still ongoing and tutus are always evolving. That's how we got the delightful modern tutus you see today - tutus you can buy, tutus for costumes in schools, tutus for performances. Everything to do with dance is more popular than ever! I am just delighted, my loves! So delighted, in fact, I even do a little celebratory dance here, right now!
## Time To Look Fabulous In Our TutUs
Well, you know the one thing we love best, darlings? Dancing in our tutus!! It's a must! A necessity, darling! It's an *essential for any woman who loves ballet... whether you are a ballerina in training, an amateur ballet dancer, or simply someone who adores all things ballet (including myself)! A great tutu is always the perfect solution for those times you simply must put on your fanciest dress, feel glamorous and be ready for some fabulous time with your favourite ballet company... It’s like wearing your heart on your sleeve!
And, of course, we wouldn't be true ballet lovers without wearing a beautiful tutu when you are out shopping. It just goes to show that *even outside of ballet, our wonderful tutu looks fabulous, and you can look fabulous* anywhere... So why not, darlings? *It’s simply divine to look fabulous, and if there's a *fantastic sale, there's nothing stopping you...
I have to say, though, shopping with a beautiful tutu is such joy! You just make *the most delightful impact on people around you, they can't help but smile at *your stylish fashion statement every time you go out!*
Let me know your favourite place to buy a tutu and what your thoughts are on 1855. What’s your opinion on the new romantic tutus, my dears?
Let me know in the comments and be sure to join us next week for another fascinating peek into our beloved Ballet Tutu History! Until then, remember... Dance like nobody's watching!
Your always fabulous friend in time travel and tutus,
Emma www.pink-tutu.com
