World Tutu Day

The Jansen Art Center and Northwest Ballet Academy invite you and your family to join us in celebrating World Tutu Day on Tuesday, February 2 (Or 2-2 Day!)

World Tutu Day started at the Australian Ballet School as an annual world-wide celebration of ballet education. This year, World Tutu Day is being celebrated in at least 7 countries, with official host schools in Milwaukee, New Zealand, Japan, Russia, Australia, the UK and Canada.

John Bishop, the director of the Northwest Ballet Academy, which offers classes in Lynden and Bellingham, brought the idea of hosting a celebration to the Jansen Art Center’s Art Council, making this the first time Washington will host a World Tutu Day celebration.

The event will run from 3-6pm at the Jansen Art Center in downtown Lynden, and includes an interactive demonstration in our weaving studio of a tutu pattern using a weaver’s loom, the opportunity to paint and decorate ballet shoes, a ballet-inspired drawing contest for kids, a Tutu Parade through the Jansen Art Center and a performance from Pas de Quatre by the Northwest Ballet Academy.

Pas de Quatre was originally choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845 and brings four ballerinas together in one performance, each dancing a variation designed to display their best individual features.

Everyone is encouraged to wear their best or favorite tutu during World Tutu Day. There will be some tutus available for guests to borrow if they don’t have their own.

Dancers and staff from Northwest Ballet Academy will be available to answer questions about their programs. Enrollment in dance classes can happen at any time during the year and include pre-ballet classes for students as young as 3 years old and continue through advanced ballet classes. Each student is placed in a class according to their skill level.