Polka

 

Polka, Czech national ballroom dance, from year 1830, apparently it made up damsel Anna Chadimová, who tried invent the dance steps for the song "Strejček Nimra". The original name was "madera", but because the polka dance is in 2/4 time signature, so the dance was called , "pulka" (half), which was subsequently changed on "polka".

Polka became soon attractive for many Czech composers such as, for example, for František Matěj Hilmar, who composed the polka Esmeralda named after the heroine from Victor Hugo's novel. And for Bedřich Smetana with his cycle "Memories of Bohemia as polkas“, or cycle "My Country".

Polka spread very quickly to Central Europe and the Americas.

A song "Škoda lásky", which was written by Jaromír Vejvoda  became quickly popular abroad, especially during the Second World War, when was translate  into several languages and sang by soldiers on all fronts, by pilots in the Battle of Britain and also became the unofficial anthem of the US Navy. In the world is known as the Beer Barrel Polka or Rosamunde. The song is about a girl who blames her boy that he left her and disappointed love which she gave him.

Polka plays at various social events such as weddings, proms, village entertainment and other events.

 

Translated by: Adéla Kulhánková