Status Updates From Polka Heartland: Why the Mi...

...A writer in the Lewisburg (Pennsylvania) Chronicle wrote, "The modern imported dances such as the 'Polka'... are redolent with the lasciviousness of Paris and Vienna." The prevalence of the dance at elite balls was dampened when, in September 1853, American newspapers widely reported that Queen Victoria had prohibited polka dancing in her presence. No doubt, the queen's consternation only increased the dance's...

When I was a child I spent every Sunday with my grandma. And every Sunday we listened to polka music while cooking old family recipes. From my mother's side of the family we are loud group of a mixed Polish and Slovakian. My grandmother's maiden name was Wiesniewski. Once a month we would visit my great-grandmother in Cleveland where, at the age of 85, she owned and ran a Polish Bar, with polka music, and dancing.