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The second way to create a top from a flamenco shawl will be familiar to any woman who has ever used a sarong as a dress.
You can't wear a cami or ordinary bra with this style, because it leaves your shoulders and upper back bare. Wear a halter-neck bra and/or top instead.
- Fold the shawl into a triangle, with the folded edge along the top.
- Taking one end in each hand, hold the folded shawl behind your body (make sure you hold it evenly so the point is centred).
- Bring each end around under your armpits and cross them over in front of you (swap hands).
- Pull the ends up and secure behind your neck.
Hints
- You can pull the ends up as much or as little as you like. If you pull them up tightly, the scarf will mould to your breasts and give you some uplift - however ...
- If you pull the ends up too much, you'll expose your midriff. That's fine if you are on the beach, but it's not very flamenco! To solve this problem, tie the top more loosely, or wear a matching halter-neck top underneath.
- If you tie your shawl behind your neck it can be quite bulky. An alternative is to use a couple of safety pins and tuck the ends out of sight.
The traditional way to create a top from a flamenco shawl is to wrap the main part of the shawl around the front of your body and then create shoulder straps with the ends.
Note - it can be quite difficult to wrap the shawl around you by yourself. It's well worth having someone to help you, at least until you get the hang of it.
You will need at least 4 safety pins.
- Fold the shawl into a triangle. Take hold of one end with each hand, with the folded edge along the top and the two fringed sides hanging down.
- Place the folded edge of the shawl across your bust and adjust it so the point hangs straight down in the centre.
- Pin the shawl to your bra or top where it meets the shoulder straps. Don't worry about concealing the pins or making it neat - this is just to keep the shawl centred temporarily, while you do the rest.
- Take the two ends behind your back and cross them over (swap hands).
- This is where you need flexible arms, or a friend to help - bring one end up over each shoulder.
- Pull each end down to meet the folded edge of the shawl and pin together
- You should now have a shawl which looks as though it has shoulder straps from the front, and is crossed over at the back, as in the picture below.
Hints:
* Always pin roughly at first so you can get your hands free. You can then take your time to adjust the shawl perfectly and get the safety pins out of sight.
* The shawl will stay in place more securely if you pin it to your bra or top as well as to itself.
* If you have a smaller shawl (or are well-endowed) you may find the ends won't reach far enough to pin to the folded edge. If you only use your shawl as a costume, you can sew a piece of matching ribbon to each end to bridge the gap. Or wear a matching sleeved top underneath and pin the ends to the top.
Most people assume that the beautiful embroidered flamenco shawl (manton) is worn over the shoulders, as in the picture above.
Not for dancing! Only the small mantoncillo is worn that way when dancing - a large shawl would restrict the arms and conceal body movement too much. You will sometimes see photos of a dancer with a large shawl around her shoulders, but it's a pretty safe bet she is about to take it off and use it as a working shawl.
However, a large flamenco shawl can be very effective wrapped around the upper body to create a top, in either a traditional or sarong style.
You can wear the shawl on its own, but I always recommend wearing a cami top underneath to protect the shawl from sweat, fake tan and body oils. Most people wear a cami top with spaghetti straps so it isn't noticeable - it does need to be in a toning colour, though, because it will show at the back. If that feels too bare, you will have to hunt for a sleeved lycra top in a shade that matches the base color of the shawl exactly. That can be hard to do except with a black or red shawl - but if you can manage it, it can look great.
Hint - don't use a leotard under a shawl, or you'll have to undress completely when you go to the toilet!
Photo credit: iliturgitana
A large flamenco shawl is an essential and versatile part of the flamenco dancer's wardrobe, as well as being a dramatic prop (see Working Shawls). They can be wrapped around your upper body in a number of ways to make an attractive top. If the fringe is short enough, they can be tied around your waist to give a "gitana" look.
Real Spanish flamenco shawls, hand made in Seville, are the ultimate - but they are also incredibly expensive, and too precious to wear as a top because they'll be damaged by sweat. Used as a working shawl, their size and weight may also be too much for a beginner. So let's look at some alternatives.
Chinese shawls are usually made of good quality silk, but the thread used is much lighter and finer, giving you a lighter-weight shawl that's easier to manipulate and more comfortable to wear.
You can go one step farther and buy a triangular shawl (basically, a half shawl). Whether worn as a costume or used as a prop, you'll usually use the shawl folded into a triangle anyway, so why pay the extra money for the full square? As you'll have only one layer of material, it will be cooler to wear - and used as a prop, you won't have the worry about the shawl separating as you throw it around.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend using the triangle shawl as a prop. Eventually, you're going to want to move up to the real thing. If you don't learn how to use the shawl so it stays together from the beginning, you'll find it even more difficult to trade up to the full size, full square, heavy professional shawl.
One of my favourite suppliers of flamenco shawls is the Shanghai Tailor. The quality is good, the freight is reasonable and they are very fast - I've ordered a shawl and had in delivered in 3 days!
If you feel you're ready to invest in a genuine Spanish shawl, be careful. Just because it's being sold by someone in Spain doesn't mean it's Spanish-made! Many of the shawls on sale in Spain today are imported from Asia.
You can tell a genuine Spanish flamenco shawl by its weight, and the lustrous sheen of the embroidery. It's the richness and density of the needlework that make it so heavy. Because it's hand made, it won't be cheap - be suspicious of "bargains"!
(Note: none of the shawls offered on this site are made in Spain).
Photo credit: iliturgitana
Castanets are traditionally made from wood - the harder the wood, the better the sound. The traditional wood for castanets is granadillo. Ebony, rosewood, pomegranate and oak also give a good sound quality.
The more you use wooden castanets, the better they sound. To play at their best, they must also be kept warm and dry (many flamenco dancers keep their castanets in a woollen sock!). Excessive cold, heat or hard knocks can crack or break wood castanets.
Modern castanets are often made from pressed canvas or fibreglass because those materials are more resistant to knocks and temperature variations. Many dancers still claim the sound improves with playing and that they must be kept warm, like the wooden ones - however I'm not convinced it makes any difference at all to fibreglass castanets.
Always, always buy professional castanets. Don't be sucked in by descriptions like "semi-professional" or "student" - they're tourist quality and will sound awful. A good pair of castanets will last you for life so it's worth getting it right first time.
Take care to buy the right size castanet. If they're too big, you won't be able to control them. A castanet should be smaller than the palm of your hand - but not too small, or you'll have trouble doing rolls.
Unfortunately, there's no standard sizing for castanets. You'll see recommendations that children should play size 3, or women should play size 6, or men should choose size 8 - but that's meaningless unless you know what make of castanets they're referring to.
A good guide is to measure the width of your palm, just under your fingers. If you choose a castanet that's the same width or slightly less, they will probably be about right. Don't buy a pair that is even a little wider, though - they will be too big.
Another question I've had recently is "how do I break in flamenco shoes?"
The idea of "breaking in" flamenco shoes is misleading. You don't want your flamenco shoes to lose any of their rigidity or strength. They're not like pointe shoes, where some dancers do crazy things like crushing the toe in a door and flexing the sole to make it bendy - flamenco shoes do a good job just the way they are!
With a flamenco shoe, all you want is for the leather or suede uppers to mould to your feet so you don't get blisters. The only way to do that is to wear them. It's a good idea to wear them around the house for a few days before you try dancing in them - just be careful the tacks don't scratch your floors.
On that note, if you find the nails are scratching, it's simple to fix - just go outside and scrape them against the concrete on the sidewalk until you get a nice smooth surface (run your fingers over the tacks to check). Don't walk on concrete, though - it will wear the nails down.
Photo by Andrea Balducci
Photo by iliturgitana on Flickr
If you need a fan for flamenco, don't be tempted by the ones in typical Spanish souvenir shops (like the ones above) - dancing fans are much, much bigger. The ones sold in Chinese or Japanese shops aren't usually suitable either: although they may be the right size, I've yet to find one that opens and closes fast enough and smoothly enough to be any use for dancing.
If you hold an open flamenco fan (in the correct grip) in your hand, the end of the fan should almost reach the crook of your elbow.
Try opening and closing the fan - you must be able to do both with one hand.
Here's a modern take on the traditional flamenco fan dance:
The cajon is, basically, a box that is used like a drum. It's played by sitting on top of the box and playing the front face between the legs.
It originated in South America (possibly Peru) but is now an essential element of flamenco. If you're looking for a cajon to accompany flamenco, make sure it's the Spanish version - it has strings or metal objects added to make it resonate. Some South American cajones are just a hollow box.
If you're a dancer, it's worth having some cajon lessons because it gives you a different insight on the rhythms.
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Photo by Arteunporro
I've had several enquiries about where to buy flamenco shoes in Australia.
Of course, you can always order from us! 
Just select "Australian auctions" in the drop down box and you'll see a list of all the international sellers who ship to Australia, as well as local sellers.
However, if you want to deal direct with someone locally, there are a few options.
I've been happy with my shoes from Salvio's in Sydney. They developed the shoe in conjunction with a Sydney flamenco school. It's based on the Gallardo flamenco shoe and it's a good, solid design. They generally have black suede shoes in stock in a range of sizes, but will make them up in the suede or leather colour of your choice. My only criticism is that they don't use enough tacks, so the sound isn't that good. Apparently they had complaints about the nails scratching floors - but the solution to that is to make sure the tacks are properly overlapped and hammered flat, like roof tiles, not to use less.
I recently discovered Gypsy Shoes, also in Sydney. Felicity's shoes are more expensive, but they are custom made to fit your feet.
Sansha makes a flamenco shoe which is stocked by several dance shops around Australia. It looks OK, but I've never tried it so can't vouch for its quality. As I've said before, please don't let a dance store sell you character shoes or chorus shoes! They are absolutely useless for flamenco, because they're much too flexible.
The sound of castanets is instantly identifiable - outside Spain at least! - as flamenco. Flamenco purists dismiss castanets as not being "authentic", but in fact, there are a lot of things about modern flamenco that aren't authentic - so why pick on castanets?
Look carefully at the hand position in this clip:
If you want to play castanets well, you must get the hand position correct, right from the start. Most beginners start out all right, then quickly let their hands fall into a more comfortable - but less efficient - position. Get into that bad habit and you'll never master castanets!
The other mistake beginners make is to have the strings too loose. Sorry, but you should have a nasty red groove in your thumb when you take off your castanets!
Finally, don't be tempted to buy cheap castanets just because you're a beginner. Many cheap castanets are made for tourists, not for real dancers. They're often too small, and even the correctly sized ones sound dreadful. If you buy a good pair of castanets and decide to give up dancing later, there's a good chance you can sell them on to another dancer.
