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A ballet tutu is a skirt worn as a costume in a ballet performance, often with attached bodice. It might be single layer, hanging down, or multiple layers starched and strutting out.

Tutus are often wrap around skirts, fastened in the waist by ribbons sewn in its waist. They may also be attached to leotards, usually long armed.

There are several types of ballet tutu:

• Romantic Tutu: three quarter length bell shaped skirt made of tulle with a fitted bodice and sometimes sleeves. The hemline falls between the knee and the ankle. The romantic tutu is free flowing to emphasise lightness and ethereal quality of the romantic ballets.
• Classical Tutu (bell): A short, stiff skirt made with layers of netting with a slight bell shape and fitted bodice. It extends outwards from the hips and does not use a wired hoop. It is usually longer than a classical tutu. These are used in the famous ballet paintings by Degas.
• Classical Tutu (pancake): A short, stiff skirt made with layers of netting that extends outwards (from the hips), and has a fitted bodice. The pancake style has more layers of net and uses a wire hoop and much hand tacking to keep the layers flat and stiff.
• Balanchine/Karinska Tutu: also known as the "powder puff" is similar to the bell and pancake tutu with the exception that no hoops are used and with fewer layers of netting. The skirt is loosely tacked to give a softer, fuller appearance.

Contents 1 Creation of a Tutu 2 Etymology 3 References 4 External links

Briefly, the tutu starts out as a Basque.

The basque is really nothing more than a kind of women's underpants. It consists of two parts: the upper Basque above the frills, and the lower basque where the frills are attached.

Needless to say, the amont of netting/fabric required for the construction of a tutu depends on the type and requirement of the dance costume. But general frill dimensions would be:

Yards of Fabric required: 12 3/4 total yards which are cut into the following lengths in inches: 

12.5- (cut four lengths of 54 inch fabric)
12.0 -(cut four lengths of 54 inch fabric)
10.5-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
9.5-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
8.5 -(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric) 
{the 8.5 layer is the wired layer in which a 
two inch strips is sewn to insert the wire for the Pancake Tutu or extra support Karinska Tutu.}

7.0-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric) 
6.0-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
5.0-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
4.0-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
3.0-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
2.0-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)
1.5-(cut three lengths of 54 inch fabric)

The word tutu is a corruption of cucu, French baby talk for cul-cul meaning roughly "botty-wotty" (for bottom).

• Why Do We Say ...?, Nigel Rees, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1944-3.

• About Tutus
• Ballet magazine
• Historia del tutu Balanchine In spanish
• Dancewear through the Ages
• An Inside Look at the Costumes of the New York City Ballet

Pictures

• Tutu Pictures
• Tutu anatomy
• Romantic tutu
• Classical tutu
• Bluebird tutu from The Sleeping Beauty
• Tutu from Swan Lake, as worn by a Ballet Rambert student(in the role of Odile)
• Tutu and Ballet shoes
• Unusual colour Tutu
• Tutu out of the Box