Description
This article is from the Ballet and Modern
Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous
contributions by others.
2.10 What is a tutu...and why do they call it that?
A tutu is a light ballet skirt. There are two general kinds, the
"romantic" tutu, a long, bell-like skirt extending to mid-calf or below,
and the "classical" tutu, a very short, fluffy skirt that stands out almost
horizontally from the dancer's body. Both kinds are made of many layers of
light material, typically nylon or tarlatan. (Tarlatan is a very light,
starched, thin muslin.)
"Tutu" is a French word, apparently a euphemistic variant of
"cucu," which in turn is a baby-talk form of "cul," "behind." The term is
thus a reference, not so much to a garment, as to that which the garment
covers. This may be more understandable if Kersley and Sinclair are
correct in saying that the tutu was originally the under-skirt. (According
to Arnold Haskell, however, the modern French term isn't "tutu" but
"juponage."
The romantic tutu was introduced by Marie Taglioni in the ballet,
"La Sylphide" (1832). The classical tutu dates, probably, from the 1880s.
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