The Muslim Fan is commonly being used when performing a few folk dances of the Philippines particularly those belonging to the Maranao Tribe. One distinct cultural dance of the Maranao’s that uses the Muslim Fan is the PAGAPIR.
“Pagapir”
Tribe: Maranao
Origin: Lanao del Sur (Mindanao Island, Philippines)
Pagapir depicts a royal manner of "walking" among the Maranao people who live mainly around Lake Lanao. Ladies of the royal court perform this stately dance in preparation for an important event. The ladies gracefully manipulate the Aper (apir) or fan, while emphasizing their small steps, or "kini-kini", which is a sign of good upbringing.
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Cynthia/dances/muslim_mindanao_dances.htm
The muslim fan is well known for its vibrant and shiny design and color. In this part of the world (UAE), it is very difficult to come up with props that you can use in showcasing Philippine folk dance. That’s when creativity matters a lot and the only option left to deal with the situation. Raw materials are available from cheapest (recycled/reused) to expensive (ready made stuffs) ones.
Let me show you how to make a DIY Muslim Fan out of recycled stuffs and a few materials I have bought but definitely the cheapest in the market.
I have managed to collect empty carton boxes from my work and left over crepe papers and double adhesive from previous events.
Don’t forget your PAIR OF SCISSORS and PENCIL
BE CREATIVE AS YOU CAN 😉
1️⃣ Cut the carton into half circle shape (size depends on your fan requirement) - each fan needs two cartons
2️⃣ Put double adhesive tape on 1 side of each carton, enough to secure the foil, no need to cover the whole side with adhesive tape
3️⃣ Trace the carton into the metallic foil, put extra space on the edges, enough to be folded inside to keep the edges neat and clean
4️⃣ TWIST (you can choose whatever modification you prefer): Divide the crepe paper into 4. Each cut will be used as pleats. The fold spacing in every pleat depends on your preference. The pleats will be secured with glue stick and will only be applied in 1 carton (edge only about 2 inches space and inner side of the carton)
5️⃣ FINAL STEP: Join the 2 cartons together using glue stick. Be sure to put liberal amount of stick to secure the cartons well.
Here’s how they will look like-THE FINISH PRODUCT
For the event where the fans were used, I have prepared 6 pairs of different colors.
THE ANNIVERSARY PROPER
Follow me @virgo27 for more DIY blogs... Till our next ARTist-cool session! 😉
