The polka, a lively couples dance in 2/4 time, had developed from folk roots and became a European popular dance craze in the 1840s. In elite Paris salons and in humble village squares and taverns ...

The name’s explanation calling on the Czech word for ‘half’ is highly plausible, as it’s tightly linked to the nature of the dance: the polka is based on a pattern of stepping from one foot to the ...