The flamenco fan
Flamenco and its accessories
The accessories are just as important in flamenco as singing and dancing itself. Only the flamenco dress, the high heels, the small scarf and of course the flamenco fan make this art so colorful and attractive. The dance with the fan is a skill that is reserved for women in flamenco today, although this was not the case in the early days of flamenco. Accompany us on a little excursion to the origins of the flamenco fan.
The importance of the fan blade in flamenco
The flamenco fan belongs to the family of folding fans. This type of fan is characterized by a movable framework of sticks. They are held together by a pin at the bottom, the head. The blade is attached to the fan bars. It represents the covering of the folding fan on the rods and depicts the visible part of the fan.
The fan leaf is particularly important for flamenco, because the colors and patterns chosen here can be wonderfully combined with the colors and design of the flamenco dress, the shoes and the small flamenco scarf. Red, black and white are the typical colors of flamenco that have long prevailed. Large and small black or white dots on a red background or vice versa are particularly characteristic. This polka dot design is so simple yet eye-catching and appealing. Just like flamenco - light-footed dance steps and clear, heartfelt melodies, which combine to form a rousing choreography and conjure up enchanted amazement on the faces of the audience. Red silk and black lace add a certain eroticism to flamenco. The fan was able to perfectly underline and complete the outfit of a flamenco dancer.
Flamenco fans and dancers
For the flamenco dancers, however, the fan was more than just another object to emphasize their appearance, it was an additional element in their dance, which emphasized their movements and their body language and gave their dance more emotion, expression and sensuality.
Depending on the dance style, the flamenco dancer uses particularly large fans, which are easy to see, especially at large dance events, even from a distance. However, dancing with such large fans requires a certain amount of experience and skill. However, small and light fans are more suitable, especially for fast dance choreographies. Fans that are easy to hold and can be opened and closed quickly are also more suitable for flamenco lovers who have only recently started to learn how to dance flamco.
With the flamenco fan, the original use of the fan, namely to cool oneself with it, was replaced by new types of use. The flamenco fan is both a fashion accessory and an object in art, ie in music and dance, and thus combines different historical origins.
Get inspired for your next flamenco act or a special gift and take a look at our collection of flamenco fans. Worth it.