 In small rural communities in St. Lucia, where the descendants of enslaved Africans settled, life for many has changed. The community of closely knit, thatched and timber houses has given way to concrete mansions hidden by flowered hedges. The people of the community make their daily trek from their houses not to agricultural plots, but to the city centre to hire their labour for wages. But while many things have changed and some aspects of the African heritage have been lost, some have been retained. It is in the area of dance that this retention is strongest, and among these dances is the solo. The solo comes from the family of song dances in St. Lucia and is considered to be seasonal, with solos being held mainly in the months of November and December. Most people associate solo with the Christmas season. It is exotic and definitely African. Solo is a song dance in the same category as the bongo in Trinidad and Guyana, the koumena in Jamaica and the bele in Dominica and St. Lucia. Now in terms of its social function, the bele con, for example, is somehow associated with the cult of the dead. It's always around November. And with the link between bele con and koutumba suggests that it has something to do with celebrating the memory of the ancestors. It's around all souls. When the Christian tradition remembers the dead, that's the time. Now we know in the African tradition that the dead are very much alive. So it seems to be part of that living tradition, the celebration of the living tradition. That's with bele con. But after bele con comes solo around Christmas time. So it seems as though it is a kind of, it's a social event that's leading up to the Christmas period. And there are several other social events like that. For example, there is the Seminal du Vendu, which leads up to Christmas. People go around from house to house and they serenade singing, traditional Creole carols. And of course at Christmas time itself is the Abway, that is so. So the solo seems to fit somewhere around it. So it's an African tradition around the time of the Seminal. So just as people go around from house to house and herald Christmas and the coming of Christmas, they at their homes in the backyard have the solo in which they enjoy themselves. It's an after bele con period and it's a before Christmas time period. Solo is somehow also linked with the tradition of bamboo bursting. So around the time when bamboo bursting, so what you know is advent, you know it's Christmas coming, then you have got solo. In years gone by, a solo event was very popular and could be hosted by anyone in the community. Like all other community song and dance festivities, it was planned. Persons were invited. Food and beverages were served. The singing and dances would start early in the evening and would continue until daybreak the following day. Today, 150 years after the abolition of slavery, a solo event is still organized. But in addition to the small intimate community, you can now see it in wide, open, impersonal spaces. There, groups from different communities converge and put on a spectacle for the public. They don't do this, they don't do this. The only thing that's really important to us is that they offer solo events. For the solo, we need to join them. We think it's very exciting. We are singing music, and we are overwhelmed So I'm not only going to have to pay you and the land of you people, but of course, we're going to have to pay you, so that you can more or less live yourself with us. We can support you, that's the thing. We can support that. We're going to sing, that's the thing. We're going to show you how we got the money. We can sing for you, that's the thing. We can support you, that's the thing. You can do it. You can go to a government official, and they will definitely come. Let them sit down, and leave me. Let them sit down, and let them continue to play. Now, there's a chance that we'll be happy. Solo is like Belae, Belae Conte, Belae Allee, Belae Ate, Belae Alawis. One of the song dances, we call them a song dance because it's basically a story, like a Conte based on anything that may happen in the community or may happen in the life of a person. And there's a dance that goes with it. The solo seems to be a freer kind of Allee Lee Wong. You know, it's like in quadrille, you have the different figures, figure one, figure two. You've got Lacomet, Widowah, and Moolala and so on. And then you've got the Allee Lee Wong, and you've got the Guawan Wong kind of thing. I would say, musically, solo would be equivalent to like the Guawan Wong when everybody just jumps in and break in. Except that it would be, it's just a couple, the solo is done just by one couple, one man and one woman. And they dance to the drum. And it is very sensual. It's almost like a kind of erotic play between the man and the woman. And the rhythm is free, free open rhythm. Something like, So it's kind of a free running rhythm. And with every kind of, every drum beat, there would be a, the man would blow che, and the woman would blow che also. So there is this kind of interplay in between. But as I say, it's not as intricate, there are no intricate steps. Like with the ballet court, they have their feet movements, and their specific feet movements, the ballet and lair, there is the jumping up. But with the solo, it is really a free, feral interrelationship between the man and the woman. The solo is not danced according to defined or regimented steps or formations. People dance individually, or in pairs, or in the round. The essence of the solo is the ability to express oneself with the use of the body. There is a lot of expressive and sometimes suggestive waist movements and hip directions. It is for this reason that it is shunned by some sections of the society. Some of them call it vulgar, they refer to it as a vulgar whining dance. This may have also been the reason why the solo has not been promoted or studied as one of the African influences in the culture of St. Lucian people. However, even in this apparent form of excessive movements, the body language of the solo is satirical. The songs of the solo are commenced on the social events of the day. They are composed by anyone, including the drummer. But they are sung mainly by individual female singers known as chateaux. Today, with the same width, the same satire, some compositions are sung in groups. Solo employs the technique of Lang Dewey, with people singing the opposite of what they rarely mean. It is this use of irony which makes the solo more than just a wild dance. There are solo drummers and a particular drummer who can play the solo. They would have people following him. But it is not a structured group like a leader and different functions. It is more or less around the chateau and the drummer who can do it. I think that some kind of organization into solo groups may be taking place now for purposes of Charles Popo's thing. I will invite the solo and solo group to come down. But initially, I got the impression that it was really more of a free thing. The main instrument used to back up the singers in the solo are the taboo or boat-skinned drum and the shakshak. It is a percussion instrument made from discarded old tin like aerosol cans and pierced with tiny, tiny holes filled with the number of small dried beads. Sometimes small stones are used. A common bead that is used is one we call in St. Lucia the Gwen Leglie. The tone of the shakshak depends on the number of beads that are used and the extent of the holes in the container. Some of the best drummers in the island of St. Lucia have kept the solo rhythm going for many years. The taboo or boat-skinned drum is the lead instrument in the solo. Originally, a solo drummer with tremendous skill and flair was the one who played at the solo. These virtuosos were popular throughout the island. As the solo has extended beyond the local community into large open fields, more than one drummer is used. Another supporting instrument which has emerged with the changes in the organization of the solo is the tibwa. A piece of bamboo is set on a wooden stand and played with small sticks. The number of tibwa players may vary from two to six. The tibwa, which is associated with the music of work songs, is an excellent example of the use of natural materials to create inexpensive musical instruments. There's only one concern. It's the question of cultural dynamism. Culture is not static. Culture moves, culture changes, culture. And one suspects now that solo, like some of these other traditions, will begin to be infiltrated by some contemporary traditions. I won't be surprised if some of you are now solo barbecue. We have solo and fellas sell it by checking around the place. That kind of thing. But it's not waning in popularity. It's certainly not waning. If anything, it is on the increase. Time will come, will it?