About Flow Flags

Flow Flags, aka dancing flags, or spin flags, or flag poi, are dance props made from weighted silks.  They give users the feeling of flying, as the weighted silks drag through the air, and enable one to experience flow while creating a beautiful visual in the process.

Flags have been around for a long time.  The history of flag dancing or “flagging” draws inspiration from many sources, from the ancient Sufi meditation ritual of the 13th century, Fan dancing from Asian and Hispanic, and Gay Cultures, Poi Dancing from New Zealand’s Maori tribe, and even American military and academic Color Guards.

Flow Flags as a brand was founded in 2013, when my husband and I  joined forces with our friend Scott to spread the joy of flow online, and www.flowflags.com was born.

While we were officially founded in 2013, I have been making many different iterations of flags since 2010. At that time it was rare to encounter other people who used flags, and a chance encounter at Burningman in 2010 connected me with some flaggers of San Francisco. They were gracious enough to teach me the ways of silk tie-dye, and with my enthusiasm, I was off to the races. It has been a rewarding, passionate journey to date.

I first came across flags while watching an Aladdin show at Disneyland in the early 2000’s and knew at first glance it was something I wanted to try. Then in 2009, by chance, I came across a pair at a festival and instantly fell in love.
Having spent my early adult years as a professional dancer in Spain, I experienced a personal transformation through finding my flow with flags. I took my flagging skills to Europe and spent a summer entertaining crowds at various festivals. Upon returning to the U.S., I dedicated myself to making flags and spreading the art.  I am ever grateful to the small group of people who continued this art when it was scarcely known, and am now on a mission to share them with others. If Flowflags can bring even a fraction of joy into someone else’s life that they have brought into my own, then I have succeeded.

I hope you feel the love infused into every hand-crafted set of flags that goes out.  Thank you for helping fulfill our mission of spreading the joy of flow.

Remember, “There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way!”

-Nicole Polanco, Artist, Co-Founder & CEO