Origins in central Europe
Most accounts place the start of polka in Bohemia, a region in today's Czech Republic, in the 1830s. It began as a lively couple dance in 2/4 time with a small hop on the upbeat. Stories about one particular person inventing it are told often, but historians treat them with caution, and the dance probably grew out of steps that country dancers already used.
Where the name came from is also uncertain. One common explanation links it to the Czech word for "half," which may refer to the short half steps of the dance. Another links it to the word for a Polish woman, perhaps as a nod to Polish dances that were fashionable at the time. Sources differ, and neither explanation is proven.
A ballroom craze
By the late 1830s polka was danced in Prague's ballrooms. In the early 1840s it reached Paris and London, where dancing masters taught it to fashionable society and music publishers printed new polkas by the hundred. For a few years it was the most talked-about dance in Europe, and the craze spread to North America through sheet music and touring dance teachers.
Polka arrived at the same time as other new couple dances, and they shared the same ballrooms for decades. The waltz, which had become popular a little earlier, the schottische and the mazurka all appeared on dance programs alongside it.
Carried by migrants
Over the 1800s and early 1900s, millions of people left central and eastern Europe for the Americas. Czech, Polish, German, Slovenian and other communities brought their dance music with them and kept it alive at weddings, church picnics, social clubs and dances. Over time each community's polka took on a sound of its own.
Regional styles in the United States
Several broad American styles grew from these communities. The names below describe general approaches to the music, and players often mix them:
| Style | Roots | What you tend to hear |
|---|---|---|
| Polish-American | Polish communities in industrial cities | Trumpets or clarinets with accordion, a strong beat, and often sung verses |
| Slovenian-American (often called Cleveland style) | Slovenian communities around the Great Lakes | Button or piano accordion in front, a smooth, bouncy feel |
| German-American (often called Dutchman style) | German communities in the upper Midwest | Concertina or accordion with tuba, a relaxed oom-pah |
| Czech-American | Czech communities in Texas and the Midwest | Brass band sound with tuba, clarinets and trumpets |
| Conjunto and norteño | Northern Mexico and South Texas | Button accordion with a twelve-string bajo sexto guitar, polkas next to other local dances |
The last row shows how far the dance traveled. German and Czech settlers brought the button accordion to Texas and northern Mexico in the 1800s, and Mexican and Mexican-American musicians made the polka part of their own music. It remains one of the rhythms most associated with the accordion in the region.
Polka within folk dance
Polka is one strand of a much wider body of folk dance music. Many countries have their own couple dances, circle dances and line dances, played on whatever instruments local people had. The guide to folk music traditions gives a broad picture. In many places, older dances and newer ones blended: a village band might play a polka, a waltz and a local circle dance in the same evening.
Polka today
Polka is still played at community dances, heritage festivals, weddings and church events, and it turns up in pop, rock and comedy music too. Many people meet it first through a family wedding or a local festival. If you want to hear it played live or learn to dance it, start with the public directories in our guide to finding local groups.
Dates and origin stories for folk dances are hard to pin down, because country dances were rarely written down until they reached the ballroom. We give approximate dates and say where sources differ.