InspiringTutus

The design of the firebird tutu at Salt Lake City's Ballet West

2014-03-25T11:50:00.000+01:00

By David Heuvel, the costume production director of Salt Lake City's Ballet West.

Tutu construction workshops withTutu Guru Adrian Clarke at the Kangan Institute

2012-06-15T10:19:00.000+02:00

Adrian Clarke's knowledge of tutus aesthetic and athletic pedigrees is said to be encyclopaedic. His skills and his ''The Art of the Tutu'' classes are rare enough to attract enrolments from as far away as Hong Kong and New Zealand. Well, it still is too far for me though but I would have loved to attend!

It's the construction and history of these classic tutu styles that Clarke, costume designer and craftsman for ballet companies, film and television projects, author of six volumes on the subject and founding director of the Library of Costume and Design, will teach in three workshops at Melbourne's Kangan Institute from this month.

The Art of the Tutu is at Kangan Richmond campus, Melbourne:

June 25 to 30 - Juponnage;
July 6 to 14 - Russian Style;
September 21 to 29 - English Style.

The earliest style, the Juponnage, he describes as ''long, flowing, almost a bridal look with an ethereal, floating quality.'' Its elegant composition of bodice, modesty bloomers and up to 16 layered skirts of mousseline or tulle, dominated ballets such as La Sylphide (1832) and Giselle (1841).

''Then, in the late 1870s, ballet changed, the tutu changed,'' Clarke says. The graceful, drifting movements of the Juponnage ceded to the demands of French choreographer Marius Petipa.

'''Petipa started mixing in the physicality of Italian and Russian folk dances,'' Clarke says. He demanded his company kick higher, thrust wider, dance faster.

The classic Russian and French tutus, increasingly shorter, tightly anchored by a second-skin basque and spring-coil boned corset, evolved, enabling dancers the freedom to perform Petipa's revolutionary repertoire.

Clarke illustrates the beauty of a perfect tutu. Ayane Otsuka, 18, wears a classic Russian style in black, red and gold net and lace. Clarke fluffs her stiff, almost horizontal tutu, showing how its net tiers narrow onto the carefully fitted knickers.

''This suits Paquita and its quick, sharp movements,'' he says. Meg Royle, 15, models Clarke's English style in cream and gold. Its tutu skirts are slightly flopped and belled and move with a softer, slower bounce as she dances. Finally, with a few impossibly graceful steps from Les Sylphides, Sarah Mitchell, 19, demonstrates that ethereal, floating effect Clarke described earlier, of an ice-blue Juponnage.

Video of tutu craft and classic styles with Adrian Clarke, Ayane Otsuka, Meg Royle and Sarah Mitchell.

Swarovski sparkles at New York City Ballet Crystal costumes designed for George Balanchine’s “SYMPHONY IN C”

2012-05-09T16:15:00.000+02:00

Swarovski will celebrate the revival of George Balanchine’s Symphony in C when the ballet is performed at the New York City Ballet 2012 Spring Gala on Thursday, May 10th in newly designed costumes sparking with Swarovski crystals.

Swarovski and the New York City Ballet
For New York City Ballet’s collaboration with Swarovski on costumes for George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Marc Happel, the company’s director of costumes, stayed true to the original color palette while adding “a new kind of sparkle, a new kind of flash.” On opening night at the New York City Ballet gala on May 10, male dancers will wear black velvet tunics embellished with jet crystals, and the women, white tutus and a top layer detailed with a spray of stones. The sparkle will be head to toe: with jeweled crowns and fanned head dresses, as well as earrings by the former NYCB corps de ballet dancer turned jewelry designer, Jamie Wolf.
Photo: Nick Bentgen

The Ballet's history:

Symphony in C, originally titled Le Palais de Cristal or Crystal Palace, is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Bizet's Symphony in C (1855), which Bizet wrote at the age of 17 while studying with Charles Gounod at the Paris Conservatory.

George Balanchine

The manuscript was lost for decades, and was published only after it was discovered in the Conservatory’s library in 1933. Balanchine first learned of the long-vanished score from Stravinsky. He required only two weeks to choreograph it as Le Palais de Cristal for the Paris Opera Ballet. When he revived the work the following year for the first performance of New York City Ballet, he simplified the sets and costumes and changed the title.

The premiere was on Monday, July 28th, 1947, in the Théâtre National de l'Opéra with the Paris Opéra Ballet where Balanchine was serving as a guest ballet master at the time. According to City Ballet docents the four movements were originally associated with and designed using the colors four gemstones, three of which Balanchine subsequently retained for the three movements of his 1967 ballet Jewels: Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. Even before the ballet was renamed Symphony in C, he had eliminated the color scheme and changed to the white costumes still used.

The NYCB premiere took place as the final piece on the first performance, October 11, 1948, of the newly renamed City Ballet at the City Center of Music and Drama with costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley. Jerome Robbins was in the audience at that performance and is quoted as saying that he immediately wrote to Balanchine asking to be hired in any capacity.

George Balanchine and Barbara Karinska fitting Suzanne Farrell for Don Quixote, 1965.
Scanned from Costumes by Karinska by Toni Bentley.

Suzanne Farrell says that Symphony in C is the first ballet she ever saw and determined at once to become a ballerina and join City Ballet. When she was in rehearsal learning her role from Balanchine, he asked her whether she could touch her knee with her nose en penchée, which she could, and this addition to the choreography remains to this very day.

Katia Carranza & Renato Penteado in Balanchine's "Symphony in C

The new costumes:

Symphony in C's original name Le Palais de Cristal makes it a perfect partnership for Swarovski. New York City Ballet’s (NYCB) Director of Costumes, Marc Happel, worked in collaboration with Swarovski to re-design the costumes for Symphony in C. The revitalized ballet will debut as the final ballet on the program at the 2012 Spring Gala. It was last performed by NYCB in 2008.

The finale of the iconic Balanchine work features the ballet’s complete cast of 46 dancers, including four principal couples, and 38 Soloists and Corps de Ballet members. To accommodate the multiple casts of dancers that will perform the ballet this spring, NYCB and Swarovski created at total of 62 costumes, all embellished with Swarovski elements, including eight tutus for the principal women, 38 tutus for the Soloists and women of the Corps de Ballet and 17 costumes for the men.

The NYCB dances the finale of Balanchine's SYMPHONY IN C. kylefromanphotography.com

Over 105,000 hotfix crystals, sew-on stones and fancy stones in crystal, midnight blue, black diamond and jet, were used on the women’s tutus and men’s costumes. The variety of stones and crystals create a dramatic and intricate design on each costume, which glitter beautifully as ballerinas jete and pirouette across the stage.

The design also features all new crystal tiaras and headpieces created by jewelry designer Robert Sorrell using Swarovski elements. The striking tiaras formalize each look as they rest upon the ballerinas’ heads.

Former NYCB corps de ballet member Jamie Wolf, now a well-known jewelry designer, created original earrings, also incorporating Swarovski elements, which will be worn in the production. The earrings will be available for sale on Jamie Wolf’s website, with a portion of proceeds benefiting NYCB’s “Turn Out” fundraising program.

“Swarovski is dedicated to supporting the arts and we are delighted to be a part of New York City Ballet’s revival of Symphony in C. Marc Happel has created elegant and alluring new costumes using Swarovski crystal for this major revival,” said Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Executive Board, Swarovski Crystal Business.

“My vision for the costumes was to create an exquisite and memorable design while keeping them timeless and classic. It was a thrill to collaborate with Swarovski on this project. The crystals added a unique element to a traditional tutu,” said Marc Happel, Director of Costumes, New York City Ballet.

Check out this new video by The Daily which goes behind the scenes for the making of the Gilles Mendel costumes for Peter Martins' new work "Mes Oiseaux" and the new "Symphony in C" costumes designed by NYCB Director of Costumes Marc Happel in collaboration with Swarovski. http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/05/03/050312-arts-style-gilles-mendel-new-york-city-ballet-ruiz-1-5/

Tickets for the NYCB Spring Gala:

The 2012 Spring Gala, sponsored by Swarovski and Christian Dior, will take place at Lincoln Center with a salute to France with the theme À La Française. Adding further brilliance and touches of spring to the event, gorgeous green and pink Blossom chandeliers by Tord Boontje for the Swarovski Crystal Palace Collection, will be on display at the event.

The honorary chairman of the evening is Natalie Portman. Nadja Swarovski serves as a vice-chairman of the event. Joined on the program by world premiere ballets by NYCB Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins and former NYCB Principal Dancer Benjamin Millepied, Symphony in C will be performed to a crowd of tastemakers at the gala event.

Additional performances of Symphony in C will take place on Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 13 at 3 p.m.; Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m.; Friday, June 1 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, June 2 at 2 p.m. Benefit-priced tickets for the gala evening, which include the a pre-performance cocktail reception, the performance, and black tie supper ball, are available through the NYCB Special Events Office at 212-870-5585.

Tickets to the performance are available online at http://www.nycballet.com/ or by calling 212-496-0600. New York City Ballet’s 2012 Spring Season will take place from May 1 through June 10 at the David. H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

The ballet's structure:

As with many Balanchine ballets, Symphony in C has no underlying story. It is a representation of the music by means of movement. Every single movement of Bizet’s symphony corresponds to a different choreographic scheme, with basic motifs and patterns for the corps de ballet; each led by a principal ballerina and a danseur. As such, the ballet has four movements, each featuring a different ballerina, danseur, and corps de ballet. The entire cast of 48 dancers from all four movements gather for the rousing finale.

The Allegro Vivo (aka “Turn Key“): The movement consists of energetic dancing with quick-changing off-balancing positions, petit allegro steps and plenty of turns. For the ballerina lots of pirouettes in the variation; for the danseur a tall order of beaten jumps. The ballerina only stops to catch her breath when she pauses in arabesque between this or that jump. The principals and soloists join the mini-corps towards the end and for every supported pirouette the ballerina does, the corps answer with a combination of jumps. The finale has everyone executing a series of beaten assemblés, while the principal couple executes one last supported pirouette which goes into supported attitude devant once the music stops.

The Adagio (aka “Bend & Snap“): Here the music is more lyrical and sentimental, so in several portions the mini-corps frames the principal couple (think Swan Lake Act II Pas de Deux) while they dance a Pas de Deux filled with lifts, balances and extensions; there are plenty of supported penchés, including the “nosedive into knee” made famous by Suzanne Farrell. As the music picks up mid-movement, the ballerina starts her variation. The section ends with the corps framing her again while she lets herself fall into her partner’s arms.

Allegro Vivace (aka “Might as Well Jump”): The music becomes energetic and full of momentum. This section opens with the mini-corps - six girls and two soloist couples - grand jeté-ing across the stage. The main couple enters in a manège of grand jetés interlaced with single saut-de-basques and temps levée. They get to the middle of a triangular formation; everyone relevé-ing non-stop. The main couple fly off the wings, returning after soloist couples and corps have engaged in yet more jumping. Repeat. Leads enter for the last time, displaying bravura jumps, pirouettes and quick-footed steps, all the way back to front and then in diagonal lines. This section concludes with the corps kneeling and looking gracefully towards the audience while the ballerina is held in arabesque by her partner.

Allegro Vivace (aka “Let’s Do What They Just Did”): In this final movement all principal couples join the fourth couple for an over-the-top display of technical prowess. It opens with the fourth ballerina going through a sequence of turns (many pirouettes & fouett ées), small jumps and changing poses, the corps moving around her. Her partner and two male soloists enter in blazing grand jetés and it all builds up from there.

After the briefest of pauses as the fourth couple finishes their variation, all leads, soloists and corps de ballet join in. The ballet ends with all 48 dancers assemblé-ing in unison into a rousing finale; all principal ballerinas fall into their partners’ arms while soloist ballerinas are lifted in the background.

The music

Georges Bizet (1858-1875) is said to have composed his symphony while he was a 17-year old student at the Paris Conservatory as a class assignment. The score was discovered in the Conservatory’s library in 1933 (80 years thereafter), having never been mentioned by the composer in his letters and unknown to his early biographers. One of the theories behind it was that the piece had too many similarities to Symphony No. 1 in D (1855) composed by Bizet’s own teacher Gounod. Nevertheless, Symphony in C showed how gifted Bizet was as a melodist and orchestrator.

Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet is best known for Carmen, one of the most successful operas ever written. However, he had more success in his lifetime with non-operatic works. He was an excellent pianist and wrote many pieces for that instrument, including Jeux d’Enfants. Many of the operas Bizet wrote, with the exceptions of Carmen and The Pearl Fishers, were destroyed by the composer or never finished.

The full piece was first performed on 26 February, 1935 in Basel, Switzerland by Felix Weingartner. Certain motifs reappear in Bizet's later works as Le pêcheurs de perles, L’Arlésienne and Don Procopio.

The playlist:

Symphony in C Major (also referred as Bizet’s First Symphony)

I. Allegro Vivo 10:21
II. Adagio 9:37
III. Allegro Vivace 5:55
IV. Allegro Vivace 8:43

In summary:

Choreography: George Balanchine

Music: Georges Bizet (Symphony No 1 in C major, 1855)

Le Palais de Cristal

Costumes & Designs: Léonor Fini
Premiere: 7 July, 1947 by the Paris Opera Ballet. Thêatre National de L’Opéra.
Cast: Lycette Darsonval, Alexandre Kalioujny (1st Mov); Roger Ritz, Tamara Toumanova (2nd Mov); Michel Renaul, Micheline Bardin (3rd Mov) and Madeleine Lafon, Max Bozzoni (4th Mov).

Symphony in C

Costumes: Barbara Karinska
Designs: Mark Stanley
Premiere: 11 October, 1948 by the New York City Ballet at NY City Center.
Cast: Maria Tallchief, Nicholas Magallanes (1st Mov); Tanaquil LeClercq, Francisco Moncion (2nd Mov), Beatrice Tompkins, Herbert Bliss (3rd Mov), Elise Reiman, John Taras (4th Mov).

Sources:

1. DiamondNews (http://s.tt/1bgYd)

http://www.blogger.com/www.DiamondNe.ws%20http://www.diamondne.ws/2012/05/09/swarovski-sparkles-at-new-york-city-ballet-crystal-costumes-designed-for-george-balanchines-symphony-in-c/#ixzz1uN987KCV

2. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_in_C_(ballet)

3. The George Balanchine Trust http://balanchine.com/symphony-in-c/

4. The Ballet bag http://www.theballetbag.com/2010/02/05/symphony-in-c/

5. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Bizet

6. The New York City Ballet http://www.nycballet.com/nycb/home/

Russian design Giselle low lounge tutu table by Anna Neklesa

2012-03-08T12:19:00.001+01:00

Created by Anna Neklesa, a young and talented designer from Saint Petersburg, who joined the Kerozene Design Team, this out of the oridnary design pays homage to and is inspired by that great Russian tradition of Ballet. The design clearly refers to a graceful ballet dancer, with legs in a lovely tendu, its top a nicely ruffled tutu. Beneath, storage tubes accommodate magazines, newspapers, or your pointe shoes.

Anna is Russian, only 23 years old and already has industry experience at creating industrial and exhibition design, as well as private interiors, public spaces, lighting equipment and household items. More information about her can be found in Anna Neklesa's Coroflot page. (via 4Living).

She worked with a factory in France in order to ensure that the table passed stringent stress tests, pretty neccessary given it’s somewhat out there leg shape. Although it has only two legs and you could expect it to be a bit wobly, the lounge table is said to actually be quit stable.

The factory in France really was able to master the technologies necessary to achieve the table. A design from Russia and manufactured entirely in France.

The top of the table is formed of stainless steel plate or powder-coated aluminium wrapped up in white, black or pink(!) cataphoretic paint to offer protection.;

The legs provide options of a varnished or painted solid oak finish.

The table measures 800 x 1000 x 600-700 mm and is available at a cost beginning from €1400 ($1,879.79).

Guarantee 7 years.

You can find a list of suppliers here.

Tutu parade spotted backstage at NYCB

2012-03-07T14:24:00.000+01:00

Picture from Twitter @nycballet

The Sleeping Beauty - Behind the Costume of the lilac fairy

2012-02-22T15:36:00.001+01:00

Hooray hooray, it's an International Tutu Day!

2012-02-02T15:13:00.001+01:00

Well, it would seem that today is not only Chandeleur, which we celebrate here with pancakes, you know, the real edible stuff, not the tutu - but ....

It also is International tutu day. What a delicious coincidence!

A couple of contests have been launched on Facebook in order to celebrate this day.

Tutu.com is offering a FULL SCHOLARSHIP to TUTUSCHOOL! This scholarship will be for a 3-day classical tutu class AND a 2-day couture bodice class.
Pantages Theatre in LA launched a photo contest "Wear A Tutu, Get Free Tickets" to their première of Billy Elliot the musical.

You still have a couple of hours to participate.

I guess I will have to allow my youngest to wear her romantic tutu to ballet class today! She has been nagging at me about this for weeks, but I felt it a bit overdone and impractical.

Really, it ought to be a pancake tutu instead! Or maybe one of these ultra modern ones like these tutus from William Forsythe's The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude or Stanton Welch's Divergence?

These really are one of my favourite costumes all time. The pleated black tutus from the ballet Divergence are actually made out of industrial air conditioning mesh. Imagine trying to sew that!! I am already having a difficult time with my trials making tutus out of plastic.
 

William Forsyhte - The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude

Robyn Hendricks in Divergence Photo by Jim McFarlane

Costume sketch by Vanessa Leyonhjelm for Divergence

Dana Stephsensen in Divergence Photo by Jim McFarlane

Enjoy your pancakes today, aaah I mean your tutu !

Rare vintage McCalls Tutu patterns #7990 and #7991

2011-12-12T23:28:00.000+01:00

Paper tutu

I am soooo exited that I just had to share this with you.

Fairy costume

When it comes to tutu making patterns, you may be surprised to learn that there are not that many available out there. Sure you can find a whole bunch of kiddy costume ballerina or fairy patterns very easily.

But the real stuff? You know, the real ballet tutu that you can actually dance in? Let alone use it in competitions?

Wohow no, hell of a lot more difficult to get your hands on, even in these days of internet's easy access to information.

Sewing tulle and net

One would think that it can not be that difficult to make a tutu.

Well, that is true enough for the commercial models you can buy for about 40 dollers, and most probably made in China or Taiwan or something like that.

However, they usually come with only 3 or 4 layers of net at best and just some fluffy sadly hanging tulle at the worst.

Someone looking for a professionally made hooped tutu to be used for a competition, a performance or an audition will not find a 10 layer hooped tutu for that price, hence the fact that many dedicated dance moms are looking for patterns to make the wrestling with those meters of net a little easier.

Frills

Dollar dress

Like so many people, I have been searching the web for some specific patterns for quite a while a guess what? Yes!!! I finally was able to secure 2 vinatge patterns from McCall's and Simplicity. People seem to be dying to get hold of them without having to spend a small fortune.

A couple of themn the McCalls', usually sell for over a 100 dollars (or euros, have your pick), which really is more than I am willing to give for it. I have seen some go for over 250 dollars! Completely crazy. You may as well create a tutu with your dollar bills, now that would be original!

But last week, I found some for sale on eBay at an almost ridiculously low price and almost no bidders for them! I could not believe my luck. I must have double checked the items at least twenty times, and yes, they seemed to be the real thing. So I obviously stayed very quit about it (hey, what did you expect?) , took my chances and yippie, I won the bid.

Amongst the community of many tutu makers the question of patterns is always up for discussion and the most coveted and searched for tutu patterns as being the most traditional are the McCall's # 7990 and #7991. As said above, there are few available tutu patterns within the retail sector, but apparently none compare to these McCall's pattern's.

I guess one of the reasons that these McCall's # 7990 and # 7991 are so sought-after, is that the patterns were 'ABT approved.' They are since long out of print and probably slightly outdated in terms of measurements as they were published in 1982, but what the heck! Everybody wants them anyway. I guess the whole point of the McCalls patterns is that as one of the big 4 it was 'more well known' as a pattern company and more accessible for mothers under pressure to produce a traditional costume that could match any expensively produced tutu on parade.

7990 Misses Ballet Costume/tutu ABT

7991 Girls Ballet Costumes/tutu ABT

However, McCalls chose to discontinue them and and it seems they will not be reprinted, despite the many requests they receive for it. It is whispered that there would be some kind of dispute regarding the rights between them and ABT? If only they would see the light to stop the exploitation of these patterns. Oh, and for those that would be tempted, copying these patterns for redistribution is a serious breach of copyright...

Either way, I got hold of one of the coveted #7990 for a bargain price. I also bought a Simplicity #6204. This one seems to be less in demand, but looks quite good to me. I'll let you know if all the fuss around these patterns is really worth it, after working out the conversion of all these inches and yards to centimeters and meters. And if so, maybe I'll chase after the McCalls #7991 as well.

As my old loyal sewing machine passed away some weeks ago, I am waiting for Santa to bring me a new one to try them out, a Janome with a special ruffler and pleating feet, yippie.

Anyone already tried any of these and would be willing to share their feedback?

Happy sewing!

"Ballet way of life" by the Royal Ballet of Flanders

2011-10-12T11:03:00.000+02:00

I just wanted to share this promo for the 2011-2012 season of the Royal Ballet of Flanders as it is the ballet I go to see most often, they being close to me of course.
But most of all, I was so touched by what Aiko Takana said:

"I think we are all addicted to dance"

So true! I know I am.

How Ballet Pointe Shoes are made and unmade

2011-10-04T22:49:00.000+02:00

You probably know by now that I love tutus; long, short, bell shaped, pancake or not, you name it, but a classical ballerina is not really complete without her pointe shoes. I know that some of my fellow adult dancers will disagree with me, but just as much as I like dancing barefoot or with feet thongs for contemporary or jazz, let's face it, for classical work there really is no way around it.

Photograph by Kike Calvo - National Geographic Stock

It seems that every little girl sooner or later gets it into her pretty stubborn head to go "on pointe" - without the appropriate shoes on that is. No matter how many times I keep on telling them at the studio not to do this, it simply is irresistable to them. I hope I will still be around them in a couple of years to see how their little blistered feet will fare once they will actually get into those instruments of torture.

Instruments of tortur or not, I absolutely loved dancing with them. I had my fair share of pointe work when I was ...ahem... let's say - younger. Unfortunately I stopped that some 20 years ago when I had stopped dancing altogether when going to college. Despite the numerous amount of pointes I have litteraly danced to ribbons, strangely enough I never really thought about how they are actually made.

Used pointe shoes

I have a rather nice but overdeveloped "coup de pied" - no, no banana feet, thank you - so I used to dance on pointes with double soles having a metal strip in between them in order not to "go over" them immediately. When I see how some actually need to take out the soles of their new pointes it gives me shivers!

Nowadays I have rather simple pointes lying around, screaming to be broken in. I used to darn them, but admit that now I just buy them with a leather patch on the shank.Oh, and I bought some of those fancy new Ouch pouches and elastic ribbons. Wish they had been around before!

Pitty that all my used pointe shoes have disappeared in the meanwhile. I would have been so proud to show them to my girls. I though they were safely stored on the attick at my parents home, but no, they threw them out some years back! Can you imagine that? Throwing out the results of years of blisters, blood, sweat and tears!

Photograph by Bill Cooper - The Royal Ballet

Unless you have a fairly close relationship with a dancer, you would probably be astounded at the number of pointe shoes a dancer goes through - and the rate at which they do so.

Someone taking regular classes can use up a pair of pointes a week, even when using hardners, depending on the strength of the dancer's feet, the brand of shoe, and humidity.

Professional dancers report that the average life time of a pair of pointe shoes is about 8 hours and some principal dancers even require more than one pair per performance! Dancers rotate some 10 pairs of pointe shoes at a time. So they may have one pair that they use for class every morning; other pairs designated for rehearsals, and special pairs that feel really good reserved for one performance.

They are also responsible for re-stiffening their shoes with special glue once the shoes are broken in, but they must also wait until the pair is completely dry and sweat-free in order to do so. Pointe shoes can be high-maintenance!

Autographed pointe shoes

The Pacific Northwest Ballet reports the number of worn out pointe shoes for a Nutcracker season to be around 500. Luckily they can still sell their autographed used pairs to eager ballet fans.

But hey, I was just a dance student and my pointes definitely lasted longer than 8 hours. Hmm, I wonder if that tells anything about my dancing.

Either way, I did not have 500 pairs on the attick, I figure they could have kept at least one pair, just one, no? Well, I just had to buy new ones after that, right?

Anyway, and so it came to be that when I stumbled accross this vid explaining how pointes are made, I just had to share it with you. If you are interested in reading in more detials about pointe making, you can find an excellent description here.

And then I found this one from the Dutch National Ballet , explaining how just as easily they are ... unmade. Ha, I remember the tapping and hammering.

Enjoy!

PS: Okay now that we are just among us, I'll share one of my secret objectives with you, but don't tell anyone - I hope to get back on pointes, hopefully by next year when I'll have built up some more strength in my ankles. I'll keep you posted.

The Royal Opera House and The Royal Ballet's costume sale and competition

2011-09-23T12:48:00.000+02:00

Photograph: Sim Canetty-Clark /ROH

This weekend of 24 and 25 September, The Royal Opera House is holding a massive costume sale. And to celebrate this rare event they are offering an exclusive piece as a prize in a competition…

On offer is an absolutely glamorous nymph’s costume from The Sleeping Beauty (as pictured below modeled by dancers from the Royal Ballet behind Darcey Bussell), a cornerstone of the Royal Ballet’s repertory and as such a true piece of Royal Opera House history. The costume was originally worn by Laura McCulloch and Natalie Harrison.

Darcy Bussell as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty
Photograph: Bill Cooper

The competition winner will be picked today, so if you have not entered, I am afraid it is too late. Aarggh, why did I just stumble upon this today!? I would have loved to participate.

Unfortunately, despite the extraordinary event, I will not be able to cross the pond this weekend, as we have 2 performances scheduled and apart from that, well, there is the small matter of the budget involved. But for those of you living nearby, it will certainly be worth it to go down to the sale itself! Nice excuse if you have not entered the competition, no?

Maybe you can even combine it with the "Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts" exhibition.

So, whether you are a fellow balletomane looking for an exclusive piece of dance history, an opera lover yearning to feel like Don Carlo, a curious costumier or simply interested in a unique dress-up gown that surely no one else has, there will be something for you. I think that trying to describe this varied collection would simply be impossible - to my knowledge there is no catalogue edited for tis event - there will most certainly be something for most tastes, whether you are looking for medieval dress, an original suit for work or a costume.

Can you imagine that more than 1500 costumes are up for grabs? More than 1500! The costumes on offer reflect different periods in fashion history. The majority comes from opera productions however as unfortunately only one ballet will be represented. The only ballet costumes will be from Natalia Makarova's 2003 The Sleeping Beauty.

As tutus normally are refurbished, I do not expect them to be part of this sale however. I guess this is a bit of a consolation for me as this would be what I would have been looking for specifically.

Natalia Makarova’s The Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Opera House.

Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian

Other items come from productions as the 1958 Don Carlos (Visconti version), Parsifal, Lohengrin, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, Erwartung, and Maskarade.

All of the costumes on offer come from what are known as dead productions. They will either not be performed again or will be presented in a more contemporary version.

As the Royal Opera House, just as the Royal Ballet add to their repertoire every year, over time the huge warehouse in Aberdare has gotten so full it simply is ready to burst, making such a sale a real necessity to clear space for new designs.

Prices are said to be reasonable from £20 for a shirt to £500 for a full costume and all proceeds go towards the work of the Royal Opera House. I guess showing up early and target what you may be looking for will be key to obtain your desired costume.

Previous sales have been held at the opera house itself and this will be the first at the company's new production workshop in Purfleet, Essex.

Plan your trip

Payment: Credit and debit cards, cash or cheque.

When: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 10am.

Where: Royal Opera House’s Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop at the High House Production Park in Purfleet, Essex.

(Vellacott Close, off London Road, Purfleet, RM19 1RG)

Let me know how it was if you are going!

But what is a tutu anyway?

2011-09-22T15:05:00.000+02:00

So, I keep on talking and babbling about tutus. But what is a tutu anyway?

I know, I know, I can hear you say it, "Have you gone, turlututu? Don't be ridiculous, you know what a tutu is". Well, I may do so - or at least have my little idea about it - but there actually seems to be quit some confusion with some of the budding ballerinas and their parents.

Now that September is here, classes have started again and so whole loads of exited little girls are lining up impatiently to actually start taking real ballet lessons. And of course, in those school where a uniform is not required, one can assist to a free live fashion show.

As any loving and respecting parent, you seriously can not put your girl on ballet without a tutu, right? Because mummy all of the other girls have one. And so it happens that a lot of different styles and colors - alright, mostly pink - sparkling or not, pass the revue, Hello Kitty's and princesses included, all screaming for their part of the attention.

However,

most are not actually tutus in the proper sense of the word. They are tulle, polyester or spandex skirts or ruffles, either attached to a leotard or to be used as a wrap skirt.

I have had a hard time explaining to my girls when they started that while everyone else in class was calling theirs a tutu, well actually they were not. They finally admitted to it once they had a "real" tutu on their twirling bodies, here posing at home in them. Obviously, this is not something to wear in class.

By the way, my little one here is actually wearing her polyester ballet wrap skirt around her shoulders, how is that for multifunctional!

So, for all those that may be a little confused by now I thought to check in a few dictionaries and found the following definitions.

Tutu
tew-TEW
This is the short classical ballet skirt made of many layers of tarlatan or net. The romantic tutu is the long skirt reaching below the calf. http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html

tutu, noun
a very short, full, projecting skirt worn by ballerinas
Origin: Fr, orig. baby talk alteration < cul, bottom, backside
Webster's New World College Dictionary
tu·tu noun \ˈtü-(ˌ)tü\
a short projecting skirt worn by a ballerina Origin French, from (baby talk) tutu backside
First Known Use: 1913
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tutu

tutu, standard skirt worn by female ballet dancers, consisting of four or five layers of silk or nylon frills; the skirt is attached to a sleek-fitting bodice. (Originally tutu designated a short, trouser like petticoat worn under a dancer’s costume.) http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/610691/tutu

And then of course not to forget Wikipedia, where there actually is a list of the different types. A tutu is a skirt worn as a costume in a ballet performance, often with attached bodice. It might be single layer, hanging down, or multiple layers starched and jutting out.

So, in conclusion?

Well, let's just say that a tutu can be of any length, single or multiple layered, sticking out at the hips or hanging down, but the common thread is that it should be made from net or tulle.

Personally however, I feel that a tutu should have ruffled frills or pleated net or tulle. Period.
Although they can be really beautiful, I do not consider tulle strips knotted around or sewn on an elastic to be technically speaking a "real" ballet tutu to the contrary of what you can find on the net.

It can still make a very nice costume though, as here in our latest performance where my eldest is impersonating the world's evil released from Pandora's box. Her very nice costume was made by one of our dedicated dancing dance moms.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the disobedient Pandora in question trying to put the evil back in the box after realising her terrible mistake is indeed yours faithfully. Didn't succeed yet.... Any tips, anyone?

Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts

2011-09-07T17:03:00.007+02:00

When you are passionate about ballet and tutus as I am, you inevitably have come to admire the work of Edgar Degas. I will never forget the first time I was so privileged to admire some of his paintings and his famous "The little dancer" then at the Louvre in Paris. I must have been around 18 and was on an end-of-high school trip.

Together with my lifetime friend (we go back a long way already) - also a ballet fan, what a coincidence – we spent the total of the couple of hours allotted for the visit of the whole museum dashing around just looking for Degas's work, of course after having paid our regards to the mysterious Mona Lisa first. Just before we really urgently needed to head back to our bus, we finally ran into "The little dancer aged fourteen".

Circling her open mouthed, I clearly remember somehow identifying myself to her, even if it is a most controversial piece. Some critics decried what they thought its "appalling ugliness" while others saw in it a "blossoming". As I was just a bit older than the little girl immortalized in bronze, I personally rather agreed with the second. What a wonderful visit and experience. Needless to say I have been longing to see more of Degas’s legacy ever since.

The exhibition that will open shortly in London's Royal Academy of Arts might well be the dreamed of occasion to see a substantial amount of his vast oeuvre gathered in one place. I really hope to convince my friend to leaves her little darlings behind for a day or so and to come along, reviving our inner little girl again, complete with giggles, but maybe without all that running around this time.

Edgar Degas The Rehearsal, c. 1874 Oil on canvas 58.4 x 83.8 cm Lent by Culture and Sport Glasgow on behalf of Glasgow City Council. Gifted by Sir William and Lady Constance Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944. Image © Culture and Sport Glasgow (Museums)

The exhibition

Indeed, from 17 September to 11 December 2011, the Royal Academy of Arts will host a landmark exhibition focusing on Edgar Degas’s preoccupation with movement as an artist of the dance.

Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement will trace the development of the artist’s ballet imagery throughout his career, from the documentary mode of the early 1870s to the sensuous expressiveness of his final years. The exhibition will be the first to present Degas’s progressive engagement with the figure in movement in the context of parallel advances in photography and early film; indeed, the artist was aparently keenly aware of these technological developments and often directly involved with them.

The exhibition will comprise around 85 paintings, sculptures, pastels, drawings, prints and photographs by Degas, as well as photographs by his contemporaries and examples of early film. It will bring together selected material from public institutions and private collections in Europe and North America including both celebrated and little-known works by Degas. Really a once in a lifetime occasion.

Highlights of the exhibition will include such masterpieces as:

The celebrated sculpture Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (1880-81, cast. c.1922, Tate, London), which will be displayed with a group of outstanding preparatory drawings that together show the artist tracking around his subject like a cinematic eye;
Dancer Posing for a Photograph (c. 1875, Pushkin State Museum of Art, Moscow);
Dancer on Pointe (c. 1877-78, Private collection);
The Dance Lesson (c. 1879, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC);
Dancers in a Rehearsal Room with a Double Bass (c. 1882-85, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York); and

Three Dancers (c. 1903, Beyeler Foundation, Basel).

Edgar Degas, 'The Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen', 1880-1, cast c. 1922. Painted bronze with muslin and silk, 98.4 x 36.5 cm. Tate. Purchased with assistance from The Art Fund 1952. Image © Tate, London, 2010

Continue to read more on Edgar Degas's life, the exhibition catalogue and the practical details of the exhibition.

Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement will explore the fascinating links between Degas’s highly original way of viewing and recording the dance and the inventive experiments being made at the same time in photography by Jules-Etienne Marey and Eadweard Muybridge and in film-making by such pioneers as the Lumière brothers.

By presenting the artist in this context, the exhibition will demonstrate that Degas was far more than merely the creator of beautiful images of the ballet, but instead a modern, radical artist who thought profoundly about visual problems and was fully attuned to the technological developments of his time.

Edgar Degas

Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas was born in Paris in 1834. His father was a banker from a Neapolitan family and his mother a French Créole from New Orleans. Degas began to paint early in life. By the age of eighteen, he had turned a room in his home into an artist's studio, and in 1853 he registered as a copyist in the Louvre.

His father, however, expected him to go to law school. Degas duly enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the University of Paris in November 1853, but made little effort at his studies. In 1855, Degas met Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, whom he revered, and whose advice he never forgot: he flourished, following the style of Ingres.After studying briefly at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Degas travelled in Italy, largely teaching himself by copying works of art in museums and churches.

"Draw lines, young man, and still more lines, both from life and from memory, and you will become a good artist."

In April of that same year, Degas received admission to the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied drawing with Louis Lamothe, under whose guidance

Early in his career, he wanted to be a history painter, a calling for which he was well prepared by his rigorous academic training and close study of classic art. In his early thirties, he changed course, and by bringing the traditional methods of a history painter to bear on contemporary subject matter, he became a classical painter of modern life.

Edgar Degas c. 1850s

From 1865 to 1870 he regularly submitted large historical compositions to the Salon in Paris, but in around 1870 he began to concentrate on subjects from modern life, including the dance. A leader of the Impressionists, although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist, Degas exhibited regularly at their group exhibitions.

In the late 1880s, Degas also developed a passion for photography. He photographed many of his friends, often by lamplight, as in his double portrait of Renoir and Mallarmê. Other photographs, depicting dancers and nudes, were used for reference in some of Degas's drawings and paintings.

Apart from the dance which amounts for over half of his works, racehorses and bathing women were his principal subjects. Although he is known to have been working in pastel as late as the end of 1907, and is believed to have continued making sculpture as late as 1910, he apparently ceased working in 1912 forced by his increasing blindness.

Degas's only showing of sculpture during his life took place in 1881 when he exhibited The Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer, only shown again in 1920; the rest of the sculptural works remained private until a posthumous exhibition in 1918. He never married and spent the last years of his life, nearly blind, restlessly wandering the streets of Paris before dying in Montmartre in September 1917.

Edgar Degas La Danse Grecque (Dancing Ballerinas) 1885-90 Pastel on joined paper laid down

on board 580 x 490 mm On loan from the Honorable Earle I. Mack Collection

Organisation

Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement has been curated by Richard Kendall, Curator at Large, The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, USA; Jill DeVonyar, independent curator; and Ann Dumas, Exhibition Curator, Royal Academy of Arts.

Exhibition Catalogue

Edgar Degas is best known for his vivid studies of dancers. He captured his young female subjects warming up, practising at the bar or mid-performance with a stunning immediacy and accuracy, on canvas, paper and in bronze.

Illustrated with drawings, pastels, paintings, prints and sculpture, this beautiful book proposes that Degas’s ballet imagery is more than simply an expression of his lifelong engagement with the figure in movement.

Exploring the artist’s innovative approach to his subject matter in the context of contemporary developments in photography and film, the renowned Degas scholars Richard Kendall and Jill DeVonyar bring together photographs taken by the artist and his contemporaries and samples of film from the period, establishing the importance of early visual technologies to Degas’s work for the first time.

This catalogue has 277 pages, approx 250 illustrations and measures 28 25cm.

Buy online in the RA Shop

Opening hours

Open to public: Saturday 17 September – Sunday 11 December 2011

10 am – 6 pm daily (last admission 5.30 pm)
Fridays until 10 pm (last admission 9.30 pm)
Saturdays until 10 pm (last admission 9.30pm)
Additional early opening on Saturdays from 22 October, 9am–10pm

Admission

£14 full price;
£13 Registered Disabled and 60 + years;
£9 NUS / ISIC cardholders;
£4 12–18 years and Income Support;
£3 8–11 years;
7 and under free; RA Friends go free

Tickets

Tickets are available daily at the RA.

Advance bookings: Telephone 0844 209 0051 or visit the Royal Academy’s website

Group bookings: Groups of 10+ are asked to book in advance.

Telephone 020 7300 5995, fax 020 7300 5781 or email groupbookings@royalacademy.org.uk

Sources

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/degas/about-the-exhibition/

Wikipedia

Romantic, Classic and Pancake Black Tutu Skirts

2011-09-06T14:55:00.000+02:00

Designer tutus on the catwalk for auction at English National Ballet's Fundraising Summer Party

2011-07-27T18:54:00.003+02:00

Last month the English National Ballet has auctioned 9 tutus made especially for their dancers by several fashion designers. The stars of the English National Ballet from the company of Strictly Gershwin, mingled with celebrities and guests at one of London’s most glorious outdoor settings, The Orangery, Kensington Palace, for an evening of breathtaking ballet and fabulous fashion.

English National Ballet dancers pose in tutus by top fashion designers at the Orangery in Kensington Palace, London. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Each designer had chosen a dancer from the Company to inspire their creation. On the night of the party the dancers modelled the tutus in a catwalk show, before they went on display for guests to bid. The tutus were not really designed to be danced in as you will notice most of them are actually strapless, hence the catwalk show where they were auctioned throughout the evening in a silent auction to raise funds for the company.

Kerry Birkett in Erdem Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

It certainly is a creative and unique way to do so! And unfortunately necessary after the Arts Council grant had been slashed by 15 per cent until 2015 - about £2 million. Without fundraising ENB would have to curb performances and touring. What a shame. At least this auctions braught them a little over £50,000 to start with.

The dancers involved in the show were Laurretta Summerscales, Kerry Birkett, Shiori Kase, Natalia Kremen, Jia Zhang, Stina Quagabeur, Alison McWhinney, Fernanda Oliveira and Ksenia Ovsyanick. They were favoured to wear tutus designed by Erdem, Agent Provocateur, Giles Deacon, Julien Macdonald, Roksanda IlIncic, House of Worth, Kinder Aggugini, Moschino, Jacques Azagury.

There were supposed to be ten tutus originally, but it was announced that for personal reasons Bruce Oldfield was no longer able to take part. Begoña Cao and her Bruce Oldfield's tutu were therefore not part of the show.

It would seem the tutu designers have been heavily influenced by the Black Swan hype. Pitty they did not go for a bit more colour. Although Swan Lake obviously has inspired many a dancer over the centuries as I even myself related to in my previous post ("How to make a tutu" for Swan Lake).

Ksenia Ovsyanick in Roksanda Illincic Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Fernanda Oliveira in Moschino Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Alison McWhinney in Kinder Aggugini Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Natalia Kremen in House of Worth Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

The eternal child and romantic soul in me is happy to see that at least one has been inspired by the romantic tutu style!

Laurretta Summerscales in Agent Provocateur Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

So, which ones do you prefer?

The dancers not only modelled tutus, but also some tiaras and shoes exclusively designed for them by top fashion houses. Wright & Teague and Natasha Zinko designed the tiaras. Christian Louboutin and Beatrix Ong designed the shoes for the auction.

Christian Louboutin has designed a pair of eight-inch stilettos of towering and Swarovski-encrusted silk based on the ballet shoe. There is a picture below, now I would really want to challenge anyone, ballet dancer or not, to walk around in these! When quizzed about his design, Louboutin said:

“Isn’t the classical dancing ballet slipper the ultimate heel? The heel which makes dancers closer than any other women to the sky, closer to heaven.”

Closer to heaven ? More like closer to a nice sprain if you ask me.

Christian Louboutin's stilletos

In step: English National Ballet principal dancer Fernanda Oliveira tries on the Louboutins

Designers Wright & Teague for Dancer Kerry Birkett , Photograph: John Davis, Styled by Fabio Immediato

Beatrix Ong for Kerry Birkett Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Although the auction is obviously closed, you can download the catalogue here if you would like to have a little more information on each item.

There is a short movie promoting the event and the tutus. The tutus are not shown very often. I was hoping to find a video the show on the catwalk itself but I have not found one yet. Altough I can imagine some would actually prefer this more ahem, ... let's say sensual, version!

Stina Quagabeur in Julien Macdonald Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Jia Zhang in Jacques Azagury Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Shiori Kase in Giles Deacon Photograph : John Davis, styled by Fabio Immediato

Personally I like the tutus from Moschino and Agent provocateur best, along with a special mention for Kinder Aggugini and House of Worth for their colours.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre present "How to make a tutu" Swan Lake

2011-07-25T16:28:00.000+02:00

Watching this interesting interview with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's costumier Janet Marie Groom where she discusses the creation of 22 new white swan tutus for their production of Swan Lake in April 2010, I of course have to think back to when I have danced in Swan Lake myself soo many years ago.

I think I must have been about 14. I remember my tutu for the "Small swans" Pas de Quatre. I was soo proud of it. Although compared to these gorgeously decorated tutus, mine was very plain and simple. It did not have 12 layers and the tulle was not pleated either. It had 'only' 5 layers of tulle, sewn directly onto a leotard instead of assembling a bodice and a yoke. It still made me feel like the little uglu duck that had grewn up into a beautiful swan, well at least temporarily that was .

I still have that tutu hanging in my closet. Every once in a while, it gets a second life and moment of glory when my eldest daghter of 8 persuades me she will be very carefull with it dancing around in it at home, even though it is way too big for her!

Behind the Scenes at the 2011 Ballet Tutu Fashion Shoot - Dance Spirit

2011-07-05T17:49:00.000+02:00

Hi,

Click on the link below to see this video. It is a "behind the scenes" tutu fashion shoot for Dance Spirit, that I found on DanceMedia.com.

DanceMedia – All videos, all dance, all the time.

I admire these girls as they seem to stay so easily on pointe during the shoot!

Pleating a tutu

2011-06-20T14:44:00.000+02:00

As promised in an earlier post, this video will show you how you can pleat net or tulle to create a pancake tutu. The video will not show up in the actual post for some obscure raison, but if you click on the link below, or copy it into your browser, it will show up.
Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/variationstutus

Tacking or Quilting Your Dance Tutu, Making a Pancake Tutu

2011-06-01T11:48:00.001+02:00

Have you ever wondered how a Pancake tutu or Russian tutu is made?

I know I have when I wanted to make one for my girls. I had made some classical tutus before and so naively supposed I simple needed to add extra layers of tulle to support the other layers. Wrong! For someone who has danced mainly in classical and romantic tutus as a kid, this came as a revelation.

What I found after some research is that 2 additional techniques are used in order to create this specific style of tutu.

For those who are wondering what a pancake tutu is exactly, these are tutus that seem to stretch straight outward and are very flat looking like, well ... pancakes. They are seen in ballets such as Swan Lake, or the Nutcracker. Typically, a pancake tutu falls from the dancer's hip, just below the waist.

Of course these tutus are available commercially. Many parents or ballet dancers however learn how to make a pancake tutu simply because professional or commercial ones are for most people a little too much for their budget, especially when you need one for your little girl who is growing so fast.

If you would like to make one, consider these tips:

Use stiff tulle from a specialty fabric store for the best results when making a pancake tutu. Buy a LOT of tulle. You usually need more than anticipated.
Do not cut the lengths of tulle too long, as even stiff tulle can droop if its lengthy.
Sew the tutu as you would any other.
Optionally, you could pleat the tulle. I will post a video on this separately
Alternatively, you could starch spray the netting to put it into shape or use the vapor of an iron.
And then, resort to these 2 unique techniques explained below.

Hooping:

Hooping will help stiffen a classical tutu into a flatter, more 'pancake' shape. A metal or plastic hoop needs to be inserted. This narrow steel “ring” inserts in among the net layers to help hold the skirt out and flat. The hoop can be enclosed in a casing hidden in the middle layers of the tutu skirt or simply sewn in between the layers.

You can buy a ready made hoop, but if you can not find one, simply create a wired layer use soft, plaiable wire sewn into two pieces of tulle in a circle around the base and the top. This should be placed either in the middle or at the base, depending on how you wish your tutu to look.

Tacking or Quilting:

Secondly, the different layers of tulle ruffles need to be tacked or quilted together and attached to the hoop.
'Hand-Tacking' is the process of tying all the layers of the tutu skirt together to create the 'pancake' shape.

A properly tacked tutu lays just flat enough and does not excessively droop or stick-up. Tacking a Classical tutu really is an art. If you tack to tight, the tutu may not be able to 'move' properly. If you tack too loose, the tutu may droop, or lay unevenly.

All this explains why a professionally hand made pancake tutu is quit expensive.

This excellent video from Ms. Emily Adams shows you how to do the tacking:

Let us know if you have other tips, or if you have tried it!

Recreating a Tutu's Splendor | Theme and Variations

2011-05-23T16:50:00.001+02:00

Video: The trouble with tutus

2011-05-02T16:07:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone,

There really is no other garment like it in history ...

I found this neat video from The Guardian where Judith Mackrell meets the Royal Ballet's dancers to discuss the perils of wearing the ballerina's fabulously frothy skirt.

Enjoy.

Pas de deux (Saint-Pétersbourg)

2011-04-28T12:50:00.001+02:00

Pas de deux (Saint-Pétersbourg), a photo by dalbera on Flickr.

Ballet skirt.

2011-04-28T12:37:00.001+02:00

Ballet skirt., a photo by MJ/TR (´･ω･) on Flickr.