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Because it's a very niche and complicated sport it's quite unlikely
that you'll find a flatlander who will take their time to coach you
through the basics (and drop their bike numerous times in the
process).You could be onto something about the dropping their bike bit but I used to knock around with a bunch of flatlanders in South Norwood (Norwood Park) and I'm pretty sure lots of them would be delighted to have some new blood/try and get someone interested in the sport.
Try googling "The Green Mile + Flatland" - there was an article about them in The Albion a few years ago that might give you a good idea if they're still knocking around. I last saw Jason (Forde) at the Olympics last year when we were both going to be in the closing ceremony and he was certainly still doing flat land then (I can't imagine he'd ever stop doing flatland tbh!)
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pootsmanuva
Flatland is really hard. I've been riding bmx for 12 years and can barely pull off any tricks that loosely resemble flatland.
Because it's a very niche and complicated sport it's quite unlikely that you'll find a flatlander who will take their time to coach you through the basics (and drop their bike numerous times in the process).
In the meantime the basics of bmx (bunnyhops, manuals, 180s) apply to flatland as well, being able to throw the bike around and knowing where the balance points are are the keys to everything. I would advise having a look around for a bmx of your own though as practise makes perfect, and you get a good idea of how the bike handles whilst riding from a to b and bunnyhopping everything in sight.
I know the female bmx community is quite tight knit (I'm not sure if there are any on here though) so this might open far more doors than approaching some old flatlander who just wants to spin in peace.