Bohemia (Czech Republic), 1830s

POLKA

The dance that made Europe spin

Polka was born in the Bohemian countryside in the 1830s, before conquering Prague and then Paris by the end of the decade. Danced as a couple to a fast duple rhythm, it marked a genuine revolution in European balls by breaking away from the rigid geometric figures of contredanses in favor of free, joyful spinning.

Its hopped chassés are found today in American country dance, in Czech, German, Austrian, and Polish dances, as well as in the repertoire of popular ballroom orchestras across Central Europe.

How it's danced

Technique & figures

Polka is danced as a couple, in closed position, to fast two-beat music (around 120 bpm). The basic step combines a hopped chassé and a hop step, which carry the couple forward while turning.

Styles and fundamentals

The posture stays tall, the couple turns around a shared axis, and the constant bounce of the legs gives the dance its joyful character.

Main figures

01
Polka step
A hopped chassé followed by a hop step, the elementary building block of the style.
02
Couple turn
A continuous rotation of the couple around a shared axis, progressing around the floor.

Reading the music

Central European ballroom orchestras, Czech, Polish, and German folklore.

Did you know?

Polkamania

N° 01

In 1840, Polka set off a genuine social craze in Paris, with private lessons, printed instruction manuals, and dresses specially designed for spinning.

Country roots

N° 02

The polka step has remained a fundamental traveling step in country dance and in many American jigs.

Explore the rhythms

Same family

Folklores Européens

Cross connections

Styles from other families that share a common language with Polka.