A
fan dance is a
danceDance is a sport and art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
performed with one or more
fansA hand-held fan is an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan...
. This form has been adapted in various countries. The
Korean fan danceBuchaechum is a traditional form of Korean dance, usually performed by groups of female dancers. Many koreans use this dance during many celebrations. They use fans painted with pink peony blossoms and display a show of dance. In the dance being performed, the dancers represent images using the...
, for example, evolved from
Joseon DynastyJoseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...
court dances and remains a popular form of traditional Korean dance. The Spanish or Portuguese
flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
makes dramatic use of fans. There also exists a form of fan dance in traditional Yu'pik culture in western Alaska; it bears little resemblance to the other forms represented herein.
In the West, a fan dance is often an erotic dance performance, traditionally by a woman.
A
fan dance is a
danceDance is a sport and art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
performed with one or more
fansA hand-held fan is an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan...
. This form has been adapted in various countries. The
Korean fan danceBuchaechum is a traditional form of Korean dance, usually performed by groups of female dancers. Many koreans use this dance during many celebrations. They use fans painted with pink peony blossoms and display a show of dance. In the dance being performed, the dancers represent images using the...
, for example, evolved from
Joseon DynastyJoseon , was a Korean sovereign state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong...
court dances and remains a popular form of traditional Korean dance. The Spanish or Portuguese
flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
makes dramatic use of fans. There also exists a form of fan dance in traditional Yu'pik culture in western Alaska; it bears little resemblance to the other forms represented herein.
In the West, a fan dance is often an erotic dance performance, traditionally by a woman. The performer, either entirely nude or apparently so, dances while moving two large
fanA hand-held fan is an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan...
s, typically constructed from
ostrichThe ostrich, Struthio camelus, is a large flightless bird native to Africa. It is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae and its genus, Struthio. Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, and other ratites...
feathers. The essence of the
choreographyChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
is suggestion, limiting the parts of the body exposed to the audience while focusing attention on illusions of exposure. Performers often evoke illusions of:
- having already seen what had never been exposed,
- not being able to shift one's gaze fast enough to see what seems surely to be presently exposed, or
- being aware of currently "seeing" what in fact is not exposed to be seen.
A fan dance can be viewed for erotic stimulation, aesthetic appreciation of grace and beauty, and for simple amazement of the skill of the illusion.
As of 2004, no fan dancer has been more famous than
Sally RandSally Rand was born as Helen Harriet Beck in Hickory County, Missouri. She also performed under the name Billie Beck. She was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance.-Career:During the 1920s, Sally Rand acted on stage and appeared in...
, who popularized it in the 1930s, remained the symbol of it throughout the middle of the 20th century, and continued to perform it beyond the age of 70.
In the UK, the fan dance has been used in the finals of the Miss Nude UK 2000 competition and in
The WindmillThe Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
in
SohoSoho is an area in the centre of the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is an entertainment district which for much of the later part of the 20th century had a reputation for its sex shops as well as its night life and film industry...
where it replaced the tradition of
nude tableauxTableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move...
and has since been replaced by table dancing. There have been claims that the latter has exclusive rights to it although it has also been seen at the Whitehall Theatre.
Fan Dancing's Evolution
In the 1960s, many gay men took great inspiration from the classic art of fan dancing, and created their own form of fan dancing, called alternatively
flagging danceThe art of flagging dance sometimes called flag dancing or rag spinning, but more commonly referred to as flagging, is the undulation, spinning and waving of flags in a rhythmic fashion to music...
, flag dancing, fanning or fan spinning. In the late 1990's fan dancing also became incorporated into
fire dancingFire dancing is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire...
. The style of fire fan design can range from being fixed (rigid) to folding, and with or without metal blades between the ribs of the fan.
See also
- Belly dance
Belly dance is a Western term for a traditional Arab dance genre known as raqs sharqi or sometimes raqs baladi...
- Bubble dance
The bubble dance is an erotic dance developed by Sally Rand. This was an alternative to the striptease, with some similarities to fan dancing. The dancer dances with a huge bubble to make some interesting poses....
- Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley , born William Berkeley Enos in Los Angeles, California, was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer....