Dance

Masquerade is an art form in St. Kitts and Nevis. It is the grand display of festivities that is uniquely Kittitian and Nevisian, a cultural evolution that has occurred over the course of 300 years. Paraders wear headdresses with peacock feathers, masks, and fringed aprons that reach just above the knees. The entire outfit is embellished with bangles, mirrors, and ribbons.

Experts have identified elements of European and African genres such as the "Wild Mas," Waltz, Quadrille, Rhumba, Fertility Dance, Fine Dance, Jig, and Boillola. The first dance is the "Quadrille," which originated in 17th-century France. It's a slow, formal couple's dance. The second dance, "Fine," quickens the pace. It requires more skill as the dancers work their way around the ring on one foot, towards each other. There, they perform a Fertility Dance that can be traced back to the African mating dance.

The real show begins when the masquerades break into a frenzy of "Wild Mas," hurling tomahawks into the air. This is a traditional African war dance that has been performed for millennia. The "Jig" is the next dance. The dancers show off their tomahawk skills here, with their right foot hooked behind their left.

This dance is immediately followed by the "Boillola," another dance movement in which the tomahawk is held between the dancers' legs while they jump and clap to the music, moving from side to side. When the dancers pair off into couples and perform the Waltz to a moderately fast triple meter, their European roots are on display.