polka
A lively Central European dance in fast duple meter.
In Depth
The polka is a lively dance in fast duple meter (2/4 time) that originated in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) around 1830. It quickly swept across Europe and became one of the most popular social dances of the 19th century, spawning a craze comparable to the later waltz and tango.
Johann Strauss II and his family composed many famous polkas for the Viennese ballroom. The dance also took root in American culture through Central European immigrants, becoming a staple of community celebrations. Today, polka remains popular in Czech, Polish, German, and Slovenian communities, and it influenced the rhythms of country music and Tex-Mex conjunto.
The polka craze of the 1840s was so intense that it spawned polka hats, polka coats, polka streets, and eventually polka dots — which got their name from the dance.