A ballerina can never go without a tutu. If Marie Taglioni had never shortened her skirt in order to show her pointe work, we would most likely still be wearing the long romantic skirts in every ballet. With short dresses and powerful legwork and footwork, the audience insisted to see more. Knickers were not invented until the late 1800s. In order to disguise the underdress area, the costume makers designed a multi-layered drooping dress with frills that were joined across the bottom. This is known as the anatomy of the tutu. Now days, you will occasionally see the remnants of the true tutu-in the form of frills or ruffles carried right down to the bottom of the leotard that dancers wear. Or it can be made as a short soft bell shaped drooping, multi-layered, dress. Most tutu’s now have evolved into multiple frilly layers that stick out horizontally from dancers hips. The tutu has a sad side. Tutu’s in the 1800s and early 1900s (and still today) are made of highly flammable material. Theatre during this time were lit by gas flame footlights. Yes. Dancers who fluttered too close to the adoring crowd did catch on fire. The worst case was in Paris in 1847. A rising young star went up in flames. She was nursed and bandaged and lived in 11 months of agony until her death. Thereafter, there was always a man on the side of the stage with a bucket of water and a wet rag.