Polka
Stylistic origins:	Folk dance based on Czech and Polish sources; details highly controversial
Cultural origins:	1830s Bohemia
Typical instruments:	Accordion, Tuba, Piano
Mainstream popularity:	Formerly much, worldwide, now limited to small populations
Derivative forms:
Subgenres
Chicago dyno - Chicago honky - Chicago push - Cleveland style - Conjunto style - Dutchman style - Eastern style - Neo-polka - Polish style - San Francisco style - Slovenian style
Fusion genres
Norte�o - Polka-mazurka - Polkasteady - Chicken scratch
Regional scenes
Other topics
Polka Aid

Polka is a type of dance and genre of dance music; it originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, and is still a common genre of Czech folk music; it is also common both in Europe and in the Americas. In classical music, many polkas were composed by both Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II; a couple of well-known ones were composed by Bedrich Smetana.

The polka (a 2/4-beat dance of Czech origin) should not be confused with the polska (a Swedish 3/4-beat dance with Polish roots); cf. also polka-mazurka. A related dance is the redowa.

There are various styles of contemporary polka. Of the US types, the North American "Polish-style polka" has roots in Chicago, and can be identified as 'Chicago honky' and 'Chicago push' styles. North American "Slovenian-style polka" is fast and features piano, accordion, and is associated with Cleveland. North American "Dutchman-style" features an oom-pah sound, often with a tuba, and has roots in the American Midwest. "Conjunto-style" has roots in Northern Mexico and Texas, and is also called Norte�o. In the 1980s and 1990s several bands began to combine polka with various rock styles, sometimes referred to as "punk polka", "alternative polka" or "San Francisco-style".

Samples

• Download a recording of "Jenny Lind", a polka from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by John Selleck (violin) on October 2, 1939 in Camino, California

Some polka artists:

• Slavko Avsenik
• Eddie Blazonczyk -- Chicago push
• Brave Combo -- alternative
• "Happy" Louie Dusseault
• "Li'l" Wally Jagiello -- Chicago honky
• Walter Ostanek, Canada, three-time Grammy Award winner -- Slovenian-Canadian
• Jimmy Sturr, United States, fourteen Grammy Awards
• Lawrence Welk
• Whoopee John Wilfahrt -- Dutchman
• Frankie Yankovic -- Slovenian-American
• Harold Loeffelmacher -- Dutchman/Oompah
• Those Darn Accordions
• Polkacide -- alternative/punk/San Francisco
• Big Lou and her Polka Casserole
• The Dynatones
• "Weird Al" Yankovic

See also: Austrian folk dancing

ca:Polca de:Polka es:Polca eo:Polko ja:ポルカ nl:Polka pl:Polka