Throwback Thursday and Tutus
The classical tutu is probably the most iconic image for
ballet. But this exaggerated, super short skirt didn’t start out that way. It
evolved over many, many years to become what people think of as today’s tutu.
As you know, ballet as we know it began in the French royal
court of Louis XIV (I have blogged about this before). At the time, the
clothing for women consisted of heavy – very heavy – skirts that concealed the
legs, ankle and feet. As dance evolved, it became clear that this sort of dress
wasn’t going to work out.
It was Marie Camargo who is credited with “taking the
plunge” and shortening her skirt so that her ankles could be seen (gasp!).
Camargo was known for her jumps and footwork so it is no surprise that she
wanted her skills to be seen. An interesting side effect of this change was the
fact that undergarments were now a necessity!
The evolution continued with Marie Taglioni and the
emergence of the pointe shoe. The skirt length now fell between the knee and
the ankle, and is often referred to as the “Romantic” tutu because it came into
popular use during the Romantic period.
The upward-and-shorter trend continued with Diaghilev who
not only changed the face of ballet choreographically, he also tinkered with
the tutu. He added hoops to support layers and layers of tulle, and the
“Classical” tutu we know today was born. The tabletop, or platter tutu is a
straight-out affair, whereas the earlier versions “drooped” slightly. This
droopier version can be seen in videos of Anna Pavlova performing The Dying
Swan.
Today the two basic styles of tutus are the Romantic, or
long tutu, and the Classical, or short tutu, and each one can encompass several
different versions.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #85:
“The costume known as
the tutu evolved over many years and takes several different forms.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true
elegance.”
― Coco Chanel
― Coco Chanel
Help expand the knowledge base!
Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas,
or images that worked best for you!
Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:
No comments:
Post a Comment