The Tutu Got Shorter as Ballet Got Harder
A tutu is a ballerina's skirt. Its length dropped as technique demanded visible footwork.
A tutu is the skirt worn by a ballerina. It began in 1832 as a calf-length bell of muslin and shrank steadily through the century as technique advanced: audiences and choreographers needed to see the feet, so by the 1880s the classical tutu was a short stiff disc projecting horizontally from the hip. The garment was redesigned by the dancing. The name is French nursery slang, a childish alteration of *cul*, backside, which makes it a rather blunt piece of vocabulary.
- A ballet skirt. *A white tutu.*
- Romantic tutu. *A long bell shape.*
- Classical tutu. *A short stiff disc.*
- Pancake tutu. *A pancake tutu.*
- French — nursery slang. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tutu | A tutu. |
| Plural | tutus | Tutus. |
| Type | romantic tutu | A romantic tutu. |
| Type | classical tutu | A classical tutu. |
| French | tutu | A tutu. |
- She wore a white tutu.Ballet.
- It shortened through the 1800s.History.
- The name is nursery slang.Etymology.
How the tutu changed
- 1832 — Marie Taglioni's calf-length muslin skirt in La Sylphide
- Mid-century — hems rose as pointe work developed
- 1880s — the short stiff classical tutu appeared
- Pancake tutu — held flat by hoops
- Each change followed what the choreography needed to show
French *tutu*, nursery alteration of *cul*, the backside.
Why did tutus get shorter?
Because technique advanced and audiences needed to see the footwork, especially once pointe work developed.
What does tutu mean in French?
It is nursery slang, a childish alteration of cul, meaning the backside.