Way back in May, when the idea of putting together a group of busking flamenco dancers was in its germinal stages, Lia, Andrea and Michelle met with the amazing Edie of Edie Hats to brainstorm.
How could we do it? What would be our philosophy?
It was really important to us to have a lot of input into the way the performances would be carried out. The technical aspects of performing - setting up and checking the sound system for example - had, in our experience, usually been handled by men. We wanted to learn how to do this (and all the other essential aspects of putting on show like setting up the stage, choosing the music, making the set list) for ourselves.
So, when we were throwing out ideas for a name, we came up with all kinds of things, from the absurd to the ridiculous and even some really nice ones. We settled on Flores y Lunares because, to us, it signified so much that is feminine about flamenco.
“Flores” means “flowers” and wearing flowers in our hair is very traditional. There is also a tradition of using beautifully embroidered shawls in the dance and these most often have a floral pattern. “Lunares” means “moons” and refers to polka dots - that most quintessential of all flamenco patterns. But the moon, of course, is also a powerful symbol for women and we felt that the double meaning helped to express what we want to achieve.
Once we settled on our name, Edie texted it to a friend. His immediate response: “Flowers and Lunatics - I don’t think I like it”. Well, you do have to be a little bit crazy to be a busker …
