Never Too Many Tutu's....

A tutu is not just a tutu. Sure, it's fun to say and yes, it sounds somewhat ridiculous when you utter the word out loud, but the word is not just a mish-mash of four letters, there's always a story behind it.
Tutus to me, bring back memories of recitals. Costume changes, sequins flying all over the place, my hair being in a bun that could withstand gale force winds (thank you mom), and so on.

When the tutu went on, I knew dress rehearsals were done and it time to take my place behind the massive curtain. A transformation simultaneously occurs with such a costume change. A good item of clothing will do that. I see it every day at my job with a tailored blazer or pencil skirt constructed to perfection. We walk a little taller when we put on a 'costume' that signals the departure of life's dress rehearsals, and arrival of our grand entrance onto the stage.

You've got your romantic tutu, the classic tutu, the Balanchine tutu (a.k.a 'powder puff'), and even a tutu shaped like a pancake (classical tutu; food references always seem to help). Different tutus for different dances, genres, moods, and music.

So many options for such a compact word. The four letters (two 't's and two 'u's) do a masterful job of defining the product itself. Still, it's the dancer gives the tutu it's story. At the end of the night, when the curtain closes and the audience makes it's exit, the costume goes back on the hanger not as a garment, but as a moment in time. You may want to call it a tutu, but from that point on, it has been redefined.