Shine Like a Star: Inspire Dreams with Kids' Tutu Dress - aLittleBitOfAll
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Shine Like a Star: Inspire Dreams with Kids’ Tutu Dress

Kids' tutu dresses

Shine Like a Star: Inspire Dreams with Kids’ Tutu Dress

It goes without saying that kids tutu are among the most essential, favoured and most popular ballerina clothing pieces. They are cute, stylish and appealing, but do you and your little girl know the story behind them? If no, now is the time to read it and tell it to her.

How Tutus Appeared?

Kids' Tutu Dress
Source: pinterest.com.au/val_al

The first kids tutu dress appeared in 1832 and were introduced to the world by the ballerina Marie Taglioni. She wore this graceful and elegant dress on the “La Sylphide” play which was written by her father. He wrote the play to help his daughter show off her talents, and when she performed it in the Paris Opera, both the tutu and Marie were a real success. The tutu became such a hit that even nowadays it is a synonym of ballet. Although there is no actual story about how it got the name, it is believed that this dress got its name by the French children’s word ”tu-tu”, which means bottom.

The Romantic Tutu

This precise design of Marie’s tutu became known as the romantic tutu. It was a large dress, shaped like a bell, made of a soft fabric. Besides its shape, the thing that makes the romantic tutu so special is it its length. It covers most of the ballerina’s legs and it usually ends at the ankle or calf.

An important thing to know about Marie Taglioni and her performance on the “La Sylphide” play is that it was the first ballet that featured dancing en pointe. The reason why the tutu dress was designed for Marie was to raise up above her feet when dancing in order to keep them in the spotlight.

The Classic Tutu

Although quite popular and handy, in the late 1800s, ballerinas began to tweak their tutus in order not to sit so low on their legs. By doing this, they would move more freely and gracefully when performing. Over the years, these pieces continued to get higher and higher until they reached today’s classical form.

Today’s kids tutu dress is cute, petite and stunning, made of stiffer materials so they don’t drop below the child’s waist and hips. You can choose from different classical tutus like the pancake and the puffer tutu. The pancake types of tutu dresses are supported by a hoop inside the fabric and are designed to sit on your girl’s hip. The platter type of tutu is similar to the pancake type with one difference, the platter tutu is designed to sit on your girl’s waist. You can also choose from the large selection of powderpuff tutus. They are light and fluffy, and they do not have a hoop.

Some Other Essential Ballerina Pieces

Essential ballerina pieces
Source: huffpost.com

Leotard

Leotards are an essential piece in every ballerina’s wardrobe. Usually made of spandex or lycra, these tight pieces of clothing are designed to cover the torso area. Over the years, leotards have developed a lot, mainly in their fabrics in order to improve ballerinas’ comfort. Besides from spandex and lycra, nowadays, leotards can also be made from nylon and ProForm which is a strong, durable and comfortable material. Sleeveless, halter, mesh, V neck and full-sleeved are some of the types of leotards you can choose from. Since they are designed to cover the torso, they are usually worn over leggings and tights, over which you can tuck in a tutu skirt.

Tights

Tights are an irreplaceable garment for every ballerina since they are designed to be worn all the time. They can come in footed, footless and convertible styles. When worn over the heel of the shoes, tights can lengthen the line of the leg which is quite important for professional ballerinas.

You can also choose from the many “cut along the heel“ tights, which create a stirrup. They can provide the ballerina with better traction on slippery floors. Just like leotards, today’s modern tights have excellent moisture-wicking properties.

Wrap Skirt

Usually made of thinner fabric, wrap or chiffon skirts are designed to add to the ballerina’s charm and grace. Thanks to their wrapped design, these pieces can shape pretty well the ballerina’s body while accentuating her legs and movements.

Ballet Slippers

The last but not least essential ballerina piece are slippers. Light and comfortable, ballet shoes can come in a range of colours, sizes and materials. Full sole, split sole, leather and canvas are just some of the things you need to have in mind in order to find the right one for your girl. And although it can be quite hard to choose ballerina shoes, especially if you’re new to this, the easiest way to do that is by understanding the basics and taking the exact foot measurements.

Stephanie Tierney
tierneystephanie1@gmail.com