WELCOME TO AN ENTERTAINMENT SITE FOR SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCERS!
Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
May 20
Bee Day
The Bees They Are A'Drummin
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
“🎶 Oh what a wonderful thing to be
A healthy, grown-up, busy, busy bee
Whiling away all the passing hours
Pinching all the pollen from the cauliflowers
I'd like to be a busy little bee
Being as busy as a bee can be
Flying round the garden, brightest ever seen
Taking back the honey to the dear old queen."
~ Busy Bee, Arthur Askey, 1937
This “busy busy bee” dance was specially devised by Amanda Peart for a longtime and dedicated member of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society who was also both a beekeeper and a drummer! This lively reel for 3 couples in a 4 couple set will certainly keep you buzzing.
Interestingly, bees make a surprising variety of sounds beyond their familiar buzz — including drumming, trembling, piping, and humming. Here are some of the fascinating sounds heard in and around a hive:
• Buzzing — The most recognizable bee sound, created by the rapid beating of their wings, often around 200 beats per second.
• Humming — Softer and lower in frequency than buzzing, often heard when bees are resting or working quietly inside the hive.
• Piping — A high-pitched sound made by queen bees, especially during confrontations with rival queens or before swarming.
• Tooting — Similar to piping, but usually produced by worker bees as part of hive communication.
• Fanning — Worker bees rapidly beat their wings to circulate air through the hive, helping regulate temperature and humidity.
• Drumming, Trembling, or Shaking — Bees vibrate their bodies to create these sounds, often as part of communication or signaling behavior within the hive, including during aspects of the waggle dance.
Keep on a'drummin' bees! 🕺 💃 💛 🖤 💛 🌼 🍯 🐝 🐝 🐝 🥁 🥁 🥁
The Bees They Are A'Drummin
In Scottish folklore, bees hold a special place, often seen as messengers between the human world and the spiritual realm. They are believed to possess a wisdom that connects them to the ancient traditions of the land. One intriguing custom is the practice of "telling the bees," where important news, such as births, marriages, or deaths, would be shared with the beehive to ensure good fortune and prevent the bees from leaving. In the Scottish Highlands, bees were also thought to bring blessings to a household and were associated with fertility and prosperity.
Should you want to hear Arthur Askey's "Busy Bee" song, click the bees!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
