“What is the history of this strange protruding skirt which allegedly gets its name from the French children’s word cucu, meaning “bottom”?” Where did the iconic ballet tutu come from, and how did evolve to what it is now?
From Romantic to powder-puff, mid-century to modern the tutu has become an icon of ballet.
The early 19th Century saw the first developments as skirts were shortened and made of lighter materials to match the new ‘Romantic’ period of ballet and show off innovative new footwork. By the end of the Century, skirts were above the knee as the technical demands on the dancer intensified.
What we generally recognise as the platter or plate tutu came to the fore in the early 20th Century as new materials became available and styles in general fashions changed (roaring 20’s anyone?)
Who thought the tutu could get even shorter? Well, by the mid 20th Century George Balanchine decided the powder-puff style was the way to go and Europe echoed with short, well structured forms that showed off the dancers legs and arms.
By the time we were entering the 21st Century tutus were being made of anything and everything such as William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude and Stanton Welch’s Divergence. Where will we go from here?