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One true tutu ballerinas pick their faves: a tutu is more than just a bodice connected to layers of tulle. It's an extension of a ballerina's being, capable of mesmerizing audiences of all ages. A dancer can be transformed into a swan, a ghost, and, of course, a princess. Dance Magazine asked eight ballerinas to share stories of the tutus they treasure.

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Victoria Jaiani

Dancer, Joffrey Ballet

Interviewed by Lynn Colburn Shapiro

I love romantic long tutus because they're so airy, the way they trail back. The white tutu Giselle wears in the second act almost feels like you're in a cloud; it's barely there. Last season was my first Giselle and I felt weightless, liquid. It brought out the feminine, delicate side of me. At the beginning of Act II, when Albrecht isn't supposed to see you, the skirt lingers there before it goes with you, so the prince senses Giselle's presence without being able to see her. It helped me create an illusion, like when you catch that balance in your first little solo in the second act, or when you come up in that fast hop, hop, hop, and chaine-chaine into the pique. Whether or not you balance well, it doesn't matter because your skirt creates this amazing illusion of your being there forever.

I danced Giselle with my husband the first time. We had such a blast onstage. He thought the costume made me softer, more delicate, and he liked that it didn't get in his way at all. "Great," he said, "the tutu is staying down!"

Greta Hodgkinson

Principal, National Ballet of Canada

Interviewed by Wendy Perron

When you put...

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