Queen Bee, The

By Adam Carlson
Composed November 27, 1999

Levelmed (assigned by the editor)
TypeContra
FormationImproper
A1(16) Neighbors balance and swing
A2(16) Push-back hey (see notes), ladies pass right shoulders to start, gents push back
End in a wave of 4 across, ladies in the center, neighbor in left hand
B1(4) Balance the wave (right, left)
(4) Ladies slide right
(8) Partners swing
B2(6) Circle left 3/4
(2) Pass through along the line
(8) New neighbors dosido

Author's Notes:
Push-back hey:
Everybody begins in progressed place
Ladies: dance a normal hey, passing right shoulders to start
Gents begin the hey normally, but instead of passing the other gent in the middle, give two hands to the other gent, rotate left a bit (4 counts) and gently push off to back to place (4 counts). In other words, walk a small counter-clockwise
circle. As the gents back up, they pass their partner by the right shoulder. I often say something like, "ladies, remember you're going forward and the gents are backing up, so if a collision is imminent, it's up to you to get out of the way."
Ladies need to dance a bit more than a full hey to get into the wave, so their timing is tight. The balance in the wave may feel odd to the gents because it begins away from the neighbor.
This dance is dedicated to Margriet Dogterom who got her Ph.D. in Bee Ecology in the Summer of 1999. It was first called at her graduation party. This dance introduces the family of moves I call "Push-back" heys. Another dance with a similar move is Tapsalteerie.

This dance is from American Country Dances On Line
All rights reserved by the author; used by permission.
Added to database 6/24/2001; edited by Russell Owen