Hello dear ballet lovers,
Welcome to the second newsletter of our anniversary year.
This month's number is 1054.
That's how many tutus lie dormant in our costume collection and each one carries a piece of our history. Over six decades, a veritable treasure trove has been amassed: simple and glittering tutus, classics, unique pieces and rarities, items from many countries and with special memories.
One tutu adventure from 1976 remains particularly memorable: the white tutus for the snowflake act in The Nutcracker were held up at customs at Frankfurt Airport. William Charles Reeves, husband of Waltraud Oremek-Reeves, had purchased them directly from the Royal Ballet of Covent Garden. In the middle of the night, around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, customs officials found them and the tutus were immediately released at the airport. The relief was great, because the costumes were to be worn on stage at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning!
The customs officers were fascinated and marvelled at the costumes, which were ‘exotic’ to them. In the end, the tutus reached the stage in time and became the sparkling highlight of the performance. It should be noted that white tutus of this kind were extremely rare at the time and hardly available.
Each costume tells its own story: of exciting nights, of stage fright behind the scenes, of thunderous applause, of children's eyes shining with excitement and sometimes of customs officers who saved a performance through their dedication.
Incidentally, the customs officers were invited to the performance as a thank you for their commitment and the last surviving member of the three still comes to see our performances every year (at the proud age of 93).
Today, shortly before the performance of Peter Pan on 6 and 7 December, we rummage through the costume collection every day. Every time the door opens, it's like stepping into another world. Amongst tulle, glitter and countless colours, you discover not only fabrics, but memories that come to life when you look at them.
Like the 623 steps to our very first lesson, the number 1054 also tells our story: ‘Tradition dances with the future’ and this tradition lives on in every tutu.
Warm regards,
Yours, Jasmin
