Ballerinas look like ballerinas when they wear tutus and pointe shoes. When a little girl dresses up as a ballerina and goes trick-or-treating, she rarely wears her ballet class’s black leotard and pink tights. No, she’s dressed in a sparkly pink tulle tutu.
The tutu is a fun dance costume to wear. It can be ornate or sweetly simple, but it should always flatter the dancer’s body lines and pose. Tutu is, by the way, a muddled version of the French word cul-cul. Cul-cul is a baby-talk term for the derriere, similar to the English terms “tushy” and “botty-wotty.” The tutu’s name comes from the fact that the backside of a dancer is usually visible when wearing one.
The tutu is classified as either classical or romantic. A traditional tutu is a short, pancake-like tulle skirt with many layers that is sewn straight out from the hips. A wire hoop is sometimes inserted into the layers to fan them out even more. The classical tutu by Balanchine is a little softer, with short layers that fluff up rather than sticking out stiffly. Ballets such as Swan Lake feature the classical tutu.
The romantic tutu has the appearance of a gown or dress. From the hip, four or five long layers of tulle are sewn and allowed to fall naturally into a skirt shape. These tutus, which can be seen in the ballet Les Sylphides, are generally less elaborate than classical tutus.
Despite the fact that a tutu is thought to define the “look” of a ballerina, a dancer must become accustomed to wearing one. Most ballerinas practice in a leotard and tights, as previously stated. This allows the teacher to see each line of the body and immediately spot mistakes in class. Ballerinas get into the habit of moving their bodies in a certain way, and wearing a tutu alters some of those movements.
For class and rehearsal, most ballerinas rehearsing for a show will wear a plain practice tutu. This allows her to become accustomed to dancing in a new environment. While working around the tutu, it also allows her partner to learn how to lift and turn with her. This is especially true with a traditional tutu, as the skirt necessitates the danseur to maintain a certain distance from the ballerina.
A romantic tutu is the same way, only in reverse. In a classical tutu, a ballerina’s arm movements may be altered while her leg movements remain unchanged. Nothing restricts the ballerina’s arm movement in a romantic tutu, but the long skirt may alter her leg movements. She must still maintain good ballet form while keeping the skirt out of the way.
Tutus can be purchased in ballet stores or ordered online, or they can be made from patterns. Typically, they are tulle layers sewn to a bodysuit. True performance tutus, on the other hand, may be made up of three parts: the top part, the skirt, and the knickers underneath. Many ballet companies have exquisitely beaded overlay tops that cover the top of a skirt and change the look. Then all they need is a variety of plain tutus in various colors. As a result, the company is able to work with a much lower costume budget.
Practice tutus start at around $50 USD, with performance tutus starting at $150 USD for the romantic, and more for the classical, due to the added tulle and layers. Tutus have been a part of a ballerina’s costume for more than a century. They are beautiful and the stuff of dreams.