How did the polka become a popular European dance and what does the Czechs have to do with it?
In the XIX century, almost the entire European community was seized by a passion called "polka". This obsession did not bypass the Russian public: all the conversations of the young ladies and gentlemen were reduced only to polka. No other dance has ever received such attention. What is his secret?
Polka Story: The Legend of the Fun Maid
To begin with, we will debunk the main myth that is associated with this dance. Polka has no relation to Poland. After all, the genre was born in the middle of the XIX century on the territory of modern Czech Republic. Then this land was called the beautiful word of Bohemia. It turns out that polka is a Czech national dance. But we will remain for a moment in the past epoch in order to trace the birth of this genre.
One day a young maid, whose name was Anna Khadimova, was watering flowers in her master's garden and enjoying a warm summer evening. Despite her social position, the girl was in a great mood that day. Her soul was overwhelmed with pleasant emotions that forced Anna to sing and dance right during the performance of her direct duties.
The girl was so passionate about her dance that she did not notice the young man watching her. Her light, energetic movements made a huge impression on him. Step, hop, another step - Anna danced, and the mysterious observer memorized her every movement to shift the dance to the language of music. The man's name was Josef Neruda. He led a small orchestra, with which he presented a new tune at the philistine ball in Brandys nad Labem. That, of course, was polka. There was such a significant event in the world of music and dance in 1831.
It is said that the story about the maid Anna and the musician Josef Neruda is just a beautiful legend. There is another version of polka origin. According to her, the dance was invented by the teacher Frantisek Gilmar. That he is often credited with the authorship of this genre.
How did Frantisek manage to create a dance that all European bohemians raved about? Can his Anna Khadimova be his muse? In fact, the history of the genre looks very prosaic. In those days, there were many dances similar to polka. They originated among the common people and in aristocratic circles and often mixed up - the merger of two dances was the beginning of the polka.
According to Frantisek, he combined a quick quapik and a slow nimra. This was enough to create a sensation at dance parties. Due to what? The proximity of partners while dancing. Polka caused the same heated debate among conservatives as the waltz. After all, there and there dancers were allowed to touch each other.
Gossip, conversations on the sidelines and a huge interest in a new direction of dance embraced Bohemia. Polka was especially enthusiastic among girls and boys, whose hearts were filled with passion and romance.
Bohemia, followed by Austria and other neighboring countries - "Polish" touched almost the whole of central Europe. But a special dance sensation produced on Parisians. As soon as the Prague dancemaster performed a polka on the stage of the Paris Odeon Theater, rumors about the new dance spread to the whole society. They begin to teach him in all the salons, so that everyone can feel the lively and cheerful disposition of this dance style. French love for polka later creates the false impression that the French invented the dance.
Later polka begin to dance over the ocean. True, the choreography of Americans differs from the Czech, traditional version, but the energy of the dance remains the same.
On the development of polka in Russia
In 1845, the St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky Theater became the center of attraction for all the high-society public. People came here from all over the city to watch the performance of ... polka. Before its appearance, the theater could not boast of full houses and crowded halls. But the energetic dance, peeped at the Paris beau monde, changed the situation radically.
In fact, the first attempt to bring polka to Russia was made five years earlier. But society with doubt reacted to the freestyle choreography. Therefore, the next time it was slightly adapted, so that no one felt offended and embarrassed during the production.
The appearance of polka in Petersburg is invariably associated with the name of the ballet dancer Nikolai Osipovich Goltz. It was he who, enchanted by the French art of dance, decided to make this style a part of Russian culture. And he did it. Never before have doctors been so happy for St. Petersburgers, who more than danced at balls and salons, maintaining their health!
We offer to go to the ball and admire the performance of polka in the best traditions of the XIX century. Here is the big hall starting to fill the pair. They move freely and naturally, trying not to hurt other dancers. Forward, backward, sideways, backward - their movements are chaotic and at the same time cheerful. What will happen if you insert individual polka figures into other famous dances? Spectacular and original dance pattern. So the Petersburg society was entertained in the long evenings.
It should be said that the most widespread polka received among petty bureaucracy, merchants and townspeople. By the end of the century it was driven out by a gallop dance.
Polka eyes of modern man
The wide spread of this trend led to the emergence of dozens of types of shelves. Hungarian, German, Swedish, Finnish, Brazilian - in almost every country they perform this dance in their own way. True, the Czech version was forgotten. Therefore, there are myths associated with the country where the dance originated.
Despite the number of fields, the following points remain unchanged:
the genre attracts attention with its lively, cheerful and incendiary character;
polka is one of dicotyled dances like gallop and cancan;
it is performed in pairs;
to learn how to dance polka, it’s enough to learn a few movements: added and alternating steps, mischievous jumps. The main thing - do not lose the rhythm.
Initially, the dance consisted of 10 figures. But later their number began to increase and change: leaps softened, new turns appeared. Polka did not escape and association with various ballroom dancing. So the world saw the polka-waltz, polka-mazurka, polka-gallop, etc.
Interesting Facts
In the city of Brno (Czech Republic), polka is used in dance therapy for the treatment of alzheimer's disease. The regular rhythm of this dance has a beneficial effect on patients' intellectual abilities and improves their mood.
The name of the dance laid its main feature - the half-step, which dancers perform. "Pulka" in Czech means half a step. Although there is a theory that the Poles put their hands on the name of the dance. In the 30s of the XIX century, when this genre arose, a Polish uprising occurred. The Czechs were so imbued with the fate of the Poles that they called the dance in their honor.
The origin of the style is still controversial among specialists. Some adhere to the "Czech" version, others believe that the genre appeared much earlier - in the XVI century, and its progenitor was the burr dance.
The British were the only ones who did not like the energy of the polka when almost all of Europe went crazy about it.
How popular was polka in European society? Judge for yourself: in honor of this dance they called a man's hairstyle and cake. For the sake of learning lively and brave pas weddings were postponed - just to have time to hone choreography. Doctors tirelessly received patients with a “shelf disease” when the feet swell and ligaments ache from sprains.
During World War II, polka became a symbol of liberation from the Nazis. It was performed by representatives of many countries. Not without funny cases. So, the Americans were surprised that the Czechs know their polka, and the Czechs, in turn, did not expect to see the Americans dancing polka.
Much had to endure during the Second World War and John Wilfart, who played polka in a music band. He was recorded as a spy for hearing encrypted messages to fascists in his game. Ostensibly, John thus conveyed information about the movement of anti-Hitler troops.
Finnish polka Syakkiyarvi is another "person involved" in military affairs. This time it is about enmity between Finland and the USSR. Thanks to the fast musical rhythm of this polka, the destruction of many buildings in Vyborg was avoided. This was the case. Before passing the finals of Vyborg, the Soviet military mined the city. It was intended to power mines remotely using a radio signal of a certain frequency. To kill the Finnish sappers just used polka Sykkiyarvi. Although it is believed that this is just a legend.
In Russian boarding houses and various educational institutions at the beginning of the 20th century, dance was taught for a fee. To master the polka girls had to pay.
Best polka
Polka is not only a dance, but also a musical style. Many compositions written in the spirit of incendiary choreography were written during the existence of the genre. We offer to listen to the best of them.
Polka "Backgammon" Johann Strauss Jr. This is one of the late works of the composer. He wrote it in 1858, when he toured St. Petersburg. For the first time the composition was performed in Vienna and immediately won the love of the public. Of particular interest is the origin of the name of the melody. One version says that the basis was the Viennese word "trich-trach" (in translation "chatter"). According to another, the polka was named after a poodle by a friend Strauss. The dog was called Trik-Trak.
"Backgammon" (listen)
"Children's polka" M.I. Glinka is recognizable from the first notes. Her great Russian composer wrote in 1854 and dedicated his niece.
"Children's polka" (listen)
"Polka Eve" - Finnish polka, the origins of the melody of which are lost in the depths of the centuries. There is an opinion that she is of Russian origin. Eino Kettunen composed the words for "Evina Polka" in 1937, but the song gained particular popularity in 2006 thanks to the Finnish folk group "Loituma", although the album with a record was released in 1995. What made a simple melody famous? A dialect that sounds like a patter. "Yak-tsup-tzop" - that's what the audience heard and remembered. Since then, the Eve's Polka is better known as the Yak-Tsu-Tzop.
"Eve's Polka" (listen)
"Škoda lásky" - the most famous Czech polka. In Russian, it sounds like "Sorry for love." The melody was written by composer Jaromir Vejvoda, and the words by Vaclav Zeman. Fervent, cheerful and lively - literally, this song, which was written in 1927, can be described. In the early 2000s, Škoda lásky was recognized as a hit of the 20th century by a Czech vote.
"Škoda lásky "(listen)
Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Karel Kovářovits - here are a few well-known names whose work will be associated forever with the Polish woman.
No Internet, no television, no radio - nothing from this list was needed to spread polka around the world. And it causes delight and surprise! So what is the secret of this dance? He appeared at the right time and in the right place, when bourgeois Europe was ready for an easy, relaxed, fun choreography. Polka has become the embodiment of the new time, which still compels to admire this genre.
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