A dance with a fan is a delicate and nuanced expression of joy. It is a form of storytelling that requires conjuring of a specific sentiment.

Here are some exercises that will help you access the correct emotion.

Start by placing your fan on the floor. Try to entice your fan to want to come and dance with you. Gesture to it. Dance for it. Convince it you are planning to have fun. Only when you can feel in your heart that that fan is cooperating, pick it up.

In the beginning, handle the fan with care. It has a shy nature. Somethings in life require encouragement. Run your fingers lovingly across each blade.

Tell your fan:
You are beautiful.
We will dance together to inspire joy in each other.
Don’t be shy.
I will hold your hand, all the way through.

Next, practice hiding the fan underneath your clothes. Women have an advantage in this step since we usually wear undergarments that facilitate lifting burdens. Carry it around for a whole day like a mother kangaroo would carry her child. Let it adjust to the warmth of your body.

Practice revealing the fan from a hidden place in a most glamorous manner.

Introduce the fan to the rest of your body.

Caress your face gently with the fan. This will help the fan to trust you later when you are smashing it around.

Embrace the opened fan as if it you are holding on to all your hopes and desires.

Offer all you thoughts to the world. Leave it to destiny.

Breath.
Breath life into your fan.
Let it breath life back into you.

Fan yourself with your fully acclimatized dance prop. Walk around imagining that you are much beloved Queen. You are fierce. Decisive. Powerful. But fair.

Walking shall naturally lead to dancing. Don’t resist the urge, just go with it. But don’t push it either. All shall happen in it’s own good time.

Do an exercise where you attach your fan to your hip see what interesting movements that come out.

Move your fan in a circular motion. See if you can keep your hips connected to your fan by an invisible thread.

The essence of dancing with a fan is joy. Make a list of all the things that bring you joy and then dance as if your fan in bringing them into your reality.

Imagine your fan is a sword that slices through all the obstacles that stand in your way.

Or a ladle that is mixing a nourishing soup.

Now your fan is ready to dance. Let it guide the way. Follow it’s lead.
Since you developed a private language with your fan dancing will flow naturally. Pure joy in your heart to the whole world.

Imagine you have achieved all that you desired and you are dancing not to celebrate but to express your gratitude.

Remember that the path of joy is always spread before your feet. All you need to do is take one step in front of the other.

I pass the baton to you. Pick up that fan and start dancing.