the.com/polka
A 19th-century dance craze that infected Europe faster than any plague before it.
means A lively partner dance in fast 2/4 time, with a characteristic hop-step rhythm, popular across Europe and the Americas.
from Born in Bohemia (today's Czech Republic) in the first half of the 19th century, the name likely comes from the Czech 'půlka,' meaning 'half-step,' describing the quick little steps of the dance. A popular tale links it instead to 'Polka,' the Czech word for 'Polish woman,' but the half-step explanation is the one scholars favor. The dance swept through Prague to Vienna and Paris and then much of the world, with a craze so intense the period was sometimes called 'polkamania.' Note the unrelated 'polka dot,' which simply borrowed the dance's fashionable name during the height of its fame.
- name origin
- Likely from Czech 'pulka,' meaning half-step
- polkamania
- 1840s Europe lost its mind over it
- not polish
- Despite the name, it began in Bohemia
- grammy honor
- Had its own category until 2009 axe
- weird al
- Built a career splicing it into rock hits
polish folk dance — originated in bohemia in the 19th century, became national dance of poland
polka dot pattern — named after the dance, popularized in 1950s fashion and textiles
polka music genre — accordion-based folk music tradition, thriving in chicago and milwaukee polka bands