It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic.
Polka remains a popular folk music genre in many European countries, and is performed by folk artists in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, and, to a lesser extent, in parts of Poland (Clarinet Polka), Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine, Romania, and Slovakia. The polka also migrated to the Nordic countries where it is known by a variety of names in Denmark (galopp, hopsa), Estonia (polka), Finland (pariisipolkka, polkka), Iceland, Norway (galopp, hamborgar, hopsa/hopsar, parisarpolka, polka, polkett, skotsk) and Sweden (polka). Polka Music. History Polka music is a lively, energetic style of music that originated in what is now known as the Czech Republic (then known as Bohemia) and spread quickly into Prague and the rest of eastern Europe in the early 1800's. Dancing As Polka originated in eastern Europe and spread throughout, it is most popular in the western world. With the arrival of such a high-energy dance, ballrooms were quickly filled by young adults and dance schools were flooded with people wanting to learn this fun style of dance. False, the Polka is a traditional Central European Dance that (may) have originated in the middle of the 19th Century in Czech lands. The word comes from the Czech word Pulka, … meaning 'little half' refering to the short steps of the dance. Yes, it does have a connection to Poland and Polish traditions, especially among Polish-Americans and Polish-Canadians. The origin of the dance however derives from Bohemian d … ance traditions in what is today the Czech Republic. The “polka” is a dance, simple and lively as dances go, which took Europe and America by storm soon after its introduction in 1835. The name “polka” is itself a bit of a mystery. “Polka” is Polish for “Polish woman,” but the “polka” dance is actually of Bohemian origin. Some authorities believe that “polka” may actually be a corruption of the Czech word “pulka” (“half”), referring to the short half steps involved in the dance. One does not often, if ever, see the phrase “the polka dot.” As a matter of fact, you could argue (and I love to argue, which may be why I don’t get invited to more parties) that a single “polka dot” is not a “polka dot” at all, but merely a “dot,” and usually a pretty boring dot at that. Polka music is a form of European dance music which originated in Bohemia (what is now an area within the Czech Republic). It migrated to the United States with Eastern European immigrants and remains quite popular in areas of the Midwest and Great Lakes Region.  Polka originated as a Czech peasant dance. Historic folklore has it that a peasant girl named Anna Slezak invented the steps one day for her own amusement. The word “pulka” is derived from the Czech phrase for “half-step,” which refers to the dance pattern of lightly stepping from one foot to the other. The polka dance was first introduced to Prague ballrooms in 1835, and to Paris ballrooms in 1840. While the polka is Bohemian in origin, most dance music composers in Vienna (the capital of the vast Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was the cultural centre for music from all over the empire) composed polkas and included the dance in their repertoire at some point of their career. The polka also migrated to the Nordic countries where it is known by a variety of names in Denmark (galopp, hopsa), Estonia (polka), Finland (pariisipolkka, polkka), Iceland, Norway (galopp, hamborgar, hopsa/hopsar, parisarpolka, polka, polkett, skotsk) and Sweden (polka). Polka. Polka is defined as a vivacious couple dance of Bohemian origin in duple time; was a basic pattern of hop-step-close-step; a lively Bohemian dance tune in 2/4 time. The polka was originally a Czech peasant dance, developed in Eastern Bohemia (now part of Czechoslovakia). The polka was introduced in England by the middle of the nineteenth century. However, it did not achieve the popularity it had achieved on the Continent. By this time, it had also reached the United States. The Polka is a Central European dance and genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. The polka also migrated to the Nordic countries where it is known by a variety of names in Denmark (galopp, hopsa), Estonia (polka), Finland (pariisipolkka, polkka), Iceland, Norway (galopp, hamborgar, hopsa/hopsar, parisarpolka, polka, polkett, skotsk) and Sweden (polka).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polka http://www.polkamagic.net/polka.php http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_does_polka_originate_from http://www.word-detective.com/2009/06/polka-dot/ http://worldmusic.about.com/od/northamerican/p/Polka101.htm http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/polkatime/polka.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polka http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/polka.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polka
where does the polka originate