20- Polka

From the Wikipedia:

"The actual dance and accompanying music called "Polka" are generally attributed to a girl, or young woman, Anna Slezakova of Labska Tynice, Bohemia, to accompany a local folk song called "Strycek Nimra koupil simla", or Uncle Nimra Brought a White Horse, in 1834 ^[3]. She is said to have called the dance Madera, simply meaning "quick".

By 1835, this dance had spread to the ballrooms of Prague, where it was called Pulka for its quick 2/4 step. From there, it spread to Vienna by 1839 ^[4], and in 1840 was introduced in Paris by Raab, a Prague dance instructor.

Apparently, it was so well-received that it became a sort of dance craze, spreading across all of Europe, and to the US within a decade. It remained a dominantly popular dance in these areas until the 20th century, when it was displaced by ragtime jazz, and the dance crazes of the Roaring Twenties.

Polka did enjoy a resurgence in popularity after World War II, when many Polish refugees moved to the US, adopting this Bohemian style as a cultural dance. Polka dances are still held on a weekly basis across many parts of the US with Central European heritage."

Question of the day... can you polka?