About Props: Fan Veil

Fan veils come from Asian dance, they were added into bellydance in the late 90s/2000s and the best dances usually have some grounding in the source material. Other inspirations include flamenco fans and burlesque. 

Here is an article from Princess Farhana about fans in bellydance, and some more information on the source dances.

​I know very little about the various Asian dances the silk fans come from, but I've included a few videos of different fan dances for a baseline to compare how they appear in bellydance performances to. I cannot comment on how they measure up to their own style's standards, but I like them.

A Chinese silk-fan dance

Fans used in flamenco

burlesque ostrich fans (NSFW)

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Now, onto a bellydance context!

They can be used in the same context of a regular veil

Or in a more lively way

And are popular for flashy group numbers.

My favorite fan veil performances are in the Teel Fan method, crafted by Victoria Teel and the fans made by Silkdancer, with a wider fan and rounded edge, including the super-fan (the 3rd one here:)

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Fusion fans can sometimes use fire, esp at counter culture events like burning man.

fans fusions can also be focused on other source dances

​and fans aren't the only thing veils get added to. (poi are originally Maori)