Pair of Old Burlesque Ostrich Plume Fans

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Seller's Notes:For display or dancing, these 2 fans are goth themed, black with blood red highlight on the inside, best for a medium or larger dancer as they are approximately 4 ft across, so they will cover a larger area, these feathers are real ostrich plumes from Hai's in NYC, who no longer carry this quality feathers post pandemic, they only have drabs at $5 or more per feather now, so this is a great find. In case of dropping the fan (I have done so many times), it should hold, at most any repairs can be made with tacky glue. The staves are lightweight wood, which will give you a better appearance and a faster twirl, most commercially available fans are bulky and wired and the wires can cut your hands. There are no wires here, only glue.They are static, e.g. they do not close, they are fixed open. One fan is left handed one is right handed, e.g., the first stave will fit well into a right hand on one fan and a left hand on the other. When the feathers get thin and ragged looking, which they do after many months, you have to blow them out again and let all the barbs and barbules expand out again to look fluffy. To do this, you must be super careful and use steam, DON'T use them near any open flame. Get some steam going and hold them in front of and pass them through the steam. I used to get a ceramic of water steaming in the oven, turn it OFF, and let the warmth and steam drift up towards the fan to blow it out. Don't put them in the oven, don't let the steam get them too wet. You will figure out how to do this with practice, if they get too wet, remember they will be able to be fluffed out again. The first time, less is more, try for a short time when you start to see them pop out, you will see what I mean when you fluff them for the first time. Again, NO OPEN FLAME near the fans. You don't need to be a burlesque performer to dance. These can be used to perform for your partner, or as exercise, or just plain fun (and it is fun!!!). Again, the total length of the fan (not the individual staves! not the length from the base to feather tip, the length at the longest part) is 4 feet, so it's better for longer arms, you will be twirling them, so they must be able to pass under your arm. My armpit to hand is about 26" and these work well. If you are a petite dancer, my other red fans would be better for you since they are smaller and shorter. My advice if you are looking to buy fans on ebay or elsewhere, is to experiment with what your wrists and arms can comfortable lift. Some of the traditional fans are made with a heavy plastic and after awhile your arms and wrists hurt, which is why I made these the way they are. Also measure from your armpit to palm of hand (to estimate armpit clearance when twirling), and across your body (to estimate coverage).

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