Boston Ballet tutus

(Source: theballetblog)

Tutu for Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker x

(Source: theballetblog)

Battle of the Tutus. Which One is your Favorite? 

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(Source: theballetblog)

Battle of the Tutus. Which one is your favorite? 

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(Source: theballetblog)

Battle of the Tutus. Which one is your favorite? 

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(Source: theballetblog)

In July 2003, The Australian Ballet joined forces with 17 of Australia’s most celebrated designers at an event called TUTU. A fashion show, choreographed by Adrian Burnett was presented.

The list of designers crossed the fields of fashion, design and architecture.

(Source: theballetblog)

Battle of the (light blue) Tutus. Which One is Your Favorite? 

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(Source: theballetblog)

A Brief History of the Tutu

The tutu has taken on many different shapes, weights, fabrics and characters. But despite its countless guises, its full-circle silhouette is universally recognised icon in the ballet world. On stage, the tutu fully exposes a ballerina’s technique while enhancing her aesthetic flair. These breathtaking constructions requires imaginative design and intricate craftsmanship, as well as careful consideration for the dancer who will perform in them.

In the French Courts of the 16th century, costumes were big and heavy, only allowing restricted movement. This is because dancers were average men and women of the courts, dancing with one another to flirt, impress and show off their wealth. So costumes were really just clever and more elaborate adaptations of their everyday attire. But when Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, ballet moved from court to stage and the art form became more complex and athletic; costumes were bound to evolve. Marie Camargo is credited for popularising the above-the-ankle skirt so she could perform complicated footwork. At the time this was thought of as shocking. Of course when ladies attempted to incorporate pirouettes into their dances, their whirling skirt revealed more than just techniques, so caleçons de precaution – or precautionary panties – were quickly added to the ballerina’s wardrobe.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Italian ballet dancers were performing cutting-edge ballet. Dancers begun wearing floppier, sixteen-layered, just-below-the-knee skirts as trickier technique demanded more freedom in attire. This particular bell-shaped design was called the ‘tutu italienne’ and later appeared in Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Today this classical variation of costume design is commonly referred to as the ‘romantic tutu’. It wasn’t until George Balanchine’s athletic Symphony in C that dancers began wearing the ‘powder-puff’ tutu which exposes the entire leg.
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Battle of the Tutus. Which one do you like the most? 

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(Source: theballetblog)

Battle of the (Black) Tutus. Which One Do You Like More? 

#1 (on the left) or #2 (on the right)

(Source: theballetblog)

The LED Tutu!

Imagine you’re an audience member seated in the Ruth Finley Person Theater at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts and you’ve come here to watch The Nutcracker. You see a soloist in a white and sequin-flecked tutu take the stage. She leans forward to begin her piece, and the tutu fabric illuminates. The lights roll back and forth in harmony with musical cues as the dancer moves in time to the music. You’re witnessing a convention being turned on its head.

Here is a re-imagining of a traditional ballet tutu with the added infusion of high intensity LED lighting. The lights are woven throughout several layers of fabric in the skirt, concealing the accompanying electronics. By contrast, the bodice is nude-colored with sequins—the sequins which in turn, catch the light cues from the skirt and sparkle. The dancer moves with ease through the choreography, as the tutu is lightweight and sturdy, yet flexible during the performance.

Notice how the choreography initially works to accentuate the lighting cues in the skirt, as the dancer tilts, presents the skirt to the audience, and rocks back and forth as the lighting slides back and forth with her in time to the music. The lights remain visible even on the underside of the tutu when the dancer turns upstage. As the piece progresses, the lights do as well, moving from softer colors to bright green, then culminating in red at the end.

Choreographer Nikolay Kabaniaev worked closely with designer Marina Polakoff to create movements which complemented the lighting effects. This was Kabaniaev’s initial exposure to this form of lighting technology, and it afforded him the opportunity to work with a new form of media. The collaboration resulted in a pioneering form of visual art: a fusion of movement and lighting which operated in harmony with the music. Innovation produced an unconventional, performance-worthy piece. The facile software allowed the artists to utilize existing patterns as well as create new ones. Source

Watch Marina Polakoff’s design come to life on dancer Tina Kay Bohnstedt.

(Source: theballetblog)

Tutu by Collette Dinnigan

(Source: theballetblog)

Tutu Heaven

Battle of the Tutus. Which one is your favorite? 

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(Source: theballetblog)