The last dance? Why prima ballerinas are turning away from the tutu

Leading dancers and directors say they find the classic costume both physically and artistically restrictive

The ballerina's tutu remains a traditional object of desire for many young girls: an enduring emblem of diaphanous femininity, as well as the twirling centrepiece of many a childhood music box. But is its longstanding link with the world of professional dance now out of date?

Several leading performers and choreographers think so, and while the twinkly costume of The Nutcracker's Sugar Plum Fairy may not quite have been consigned to the wardrobe archives, its days may be numbered.