Flamenco Skirts
The flamenco skirt isn't just a piece of clothing, it's a prop. Watch any flamenco dancer and you'll see how she uses her hands and sometimes her legs to throw the skirt around, adding an extra dimension to the drama and movement of the dance.
In the old days, flamenco skirts were made of heavy cotton and a dancer would never be seen dead without at least one petticoat underneath. Dancing in so much fabric was an endurance test because of the weight, and it was essential to practice in costume because you had to learn to pace your movements so the dress could catch up with you! Not to mention that the ironing took hours.
These days, petticoats are rarely worn and skirts are much less voluminous. Nuevo flamenco dancers wear streamlined, simple skirts with no frills, giving a sleek silhouette. The fabric most commonly used is polyester jersey, which moves with the body and doesn't fly up easily. In some ways I feel that's a shame - the older-style heavy skirts often seemed to be doing a dance of their own, which magnified and enhanced the dancer's movements.
All my flamenco skirts are 100% polyester, preferably microfibre. It's comfortable, has a nice sheen, and moves well. Best of all, it can be thrown in the washing machine when I get home from a performance, and come out good as new! However, if you're going to use a lightweight material with no frills and no petticoat, get your legs waxed and buy a nice pair of knickers - it's safe to assume your audience will be getting a good view of both!
Please don't wear your skirt floor-skimming, like an evening dress - it may look nice, but you'll only end up catching your shoe in the hem. It's much safer to have the skirt finish at ankle level. Remember flamenco shoes have tacks in them which can cause a lot more damage than an ordinary high heel!
*
Photo credits: Pink skirt by A. www.viajar24h.com; green skirt by Imaji
Tips for Buying Your First Flamenco Costume
When you first start getting confident in flamenco, you want to dress the part. It's tempting to rush out and buy yourself a beautiful flamenco dress, to make yourself look like a real flamenca.
Wait! Take a deep breath and let's be realistic here. It's likely to be a few years before you're good enough to dance solo. In the meantime, if you get a chance to perform, it will be in a group. Your teacher will want the group to look like a troupe, which means all of you must be wearing similar costumes.
If she's sympathetic to the financial circumstances of dance students, she'll try to use outfits that students already have - but it's very difficult to make a coherent group out of a bunch of dancers who've all bought dresses separately.
Flamenco dresses come in many different colors and patterns, with sleeves vary from extremely frilly, to tight, to none. The skirts of a flamenco dress may have several frills and multiple petticoats, or be tight and sleek around the hips with no frills at all. The chances of your dress matching what others have chosen is pretty slim.
That's why a flamenco shawl (worn as a top) and skirt combo is the best bet for your first costume: no matter where you buy your shawl and skirt, or what colour you choose, the style is similar enough that it will fit it with everyone else's shawl and skirt.
Look at this photo of a flamenco performance at the Feria in Seville, and notice the dancer on the left is wearing a purple leotard as a top, with a matching skirt. She looks just as good as her partner who's wearing a dress.
The benefit of using separates is the same as in real life - you can mix and match to suit your needs. You can also wear the skirt or leotard separately in class, and use the shawl as your working shawl. If you buy a multi-colored shawl, you can even buy two or three skirts which pick up the colors from the shawl - and probably still have spent less money than if you'd bought a dress!
In any case, your first step should be to ask other students how costumes are arranged for your school performances. At some schools, the teacher will insist that every troupe member wears exactly the same costume (and probably makes them pay to have it made). If that's the case, you may as well be patient - no matter how beautiful a flamenco outfit you buy, you're not going to get a chance to wear it on stage until you're a solo artist.
*
Photo by A. www.viajar24h.com
Flamenco Dress Styles – Sevillanas
When we think of a flamenco dancer, we think of her wearing something very colourful, very spotty and very frilly. This little cutie is wearing a perfect example - unfortunately, she hasn't quite got the steps yet...
In fact, this style of dress is rarely worn by flamenco dancers these days. You'll still see it in tourist venues and at the annual Feria in Seville, where it's traditional.
If you're in Seville and tempted to buy one, make sure you buy a dress for dancing and not just a Feria (or vestida de gitana) dress. Feria dresses are tight way down past the knees with just a few frills at the bottom, and there's not enough freedom of movement to dance properly.
Photo by qgil on Flickr
A dress designed for professional dancers may look very similar, but it will only be tight to about mid-thigh. You'll also see full-skirted styles.
You can see some examples in this video:
Flamenco Shawl Top (Sarong style)
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.
Flamenco Shawl Top (Traditional)
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.
How to Wear a Flamenco Shawl
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
How to Choose a Flamenco Shawl
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
Bata de Cola
Flamenco dancers use the words bata de cola to refer to both a dress and the dance it's worn for.
The bata de cola is a dress with a long train - if it's white, it can look rather like a ruffled wedding dress! At first glance it looks like a "feria" dress - the dresses worn for the Seville fair, which are too tight around the legs to dance properly in. However if you look closely, you'll see the ruffles start above knee level, giving enough room for the legs to move. And you need to move your legs a lot in this dance, not just to do the steps but to move the train around!
A well-made dress will have a train with enough stiffness to stay spread out at all times. A soft train may look easier to handle but it's actually more difficult - and it also looks less impressive. Look closely at this clip and you'll see the choreography is restricted to allow for the fact that the train won't fly properly:
Now compare with this clip:
Flamenco Shawls #1 – the Working Shawl
What's a working shawl? It's a shawl you use as a prop, not one you wear around your shoulders. Some shawls are easier to work with than others, and your needs will change as you become more skilful.
Non-flamenco dancers may have seen men twirling and flicking a cape in dances like the paso doble:
Whether the shawl dances are derived from the bullfighting cape is a matter of debate - but the important thing is, a shawl can be a spectacular addition to your repertoire. In the next two clips, you can see the difference between the smaller, lighter shawls used by amateurs and the huge, heavy professional shawl:
For advice on how to choose a shawl, see Choosing a Flamenco Shawl.
New e-book!
