Polka
Polka originated in Bohemia, which is today part of the Czech Republic. Its characteristic quick “half-step” choreography (pulka is Czech for “half”) became popular during the mid-1830s in couples dances among the region’s peasant communities. By the early 1840s, the signature step had found its way into ballroom dance venues in Prague and, soon after, Paris. Dance instructors adapted the polka for upper-class contexts, and classical composers began writing new music for the dance. By the end of the decade, the polka’s popularity rivaled that of other ballroom dances, such as the quadrille and cotillion, performed at social events for Europe’s cultural elites.