Dear Constant Reader,
My very first set of large fans were made by The Scarlet Rose in 2008. I debuted them in the show Unlucky in Love in February 2009 for the act that would eventually become “An Invitation” and consider them my primary fans.
Photo by Aaron Macks, 2010
I asked for alternating black and white feathers because I figured that would go with just about everything. They were built on bamboo staves — as I’ve mentioned before, bamboo and acrylic were really the only options then — with two plumes and Swarovski crystals on each stave (designer’s choice). The only hitch was that they were both right-hand fans. Like I said, this was early days and we didn’t really know about handed fans. It does mean that at this point I’ve got a pretty strong left hand.
As well as they’ve served me for so many years, I was starting to worry about the staves. They were just feeling a little off. After our Halloween show, when I knew I wouldn’t need them again for a while, I contacted Donna Touch. When we discussed the upgrade, she showed me some lovely vintage-style staves that she had created for Dita’s Vegas show. There was no question that I wanted them.
Because the original fans had 16 staves each, Donna created the new staves from thinner aluminum to reduce the weight. It’s a different feel than my other set on her staves, but I adjusted pretty quickly.
When the fans arrived, after I had removed them from their very secure packaging, Bartholomew had to inspect the box and found it of acceptable quality.
Donna donates a portion of her sales to a variety of charities, so I got to pick which one I wanted to support and received this sticker
for choosing The Audubon Society. It seemed only right to give back to birds.
You’ve waited long enough. Here are the fans!
Photos by Donna Touch
I used them for the first time at our student showcase two days after they arrived. Here’s a very brief look. I don’t usually do pastie shots, but most of the performance is partially blocked by the audience (because I set up the camera poorly) and you can’t really see the fans well except at the end.
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Oh, The Glamourous Life! 
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