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Post by vspindler on Jun 28, 2015 19:15:46 GMT
My BIL got married this weekend and my calves are still mad at me. I am sure it is partly the shoes I wore but I think it is more from dancing the polka. The dj played the "Beer Barrel Polka" which is pretty much a wedding dance staple in Wisconsin. Maybe it is because it is the one dance I really can say I know how to do, but it is my favorite. I prefer though to dance it at a Badger football game to the Varsity band playing "when You Say Wisconsin (You've Said it All)" aka "the Bud Song". in fact one of my favorite memories as a freshman my first week of college was being at a prep rally for freshmen and moving around when the band started to play the BudSong but with no one to dance with while other people who did not know what to do just stood there. One of the volunteers came bounding up the bleachers of the Camp Randall student section to dance with me. It is the only time in my life I ever danced with a stranger.
i know that the polka is a Wisconsin thing, but is is a thing anywhere else?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 19:18:59 GMT
My city is home to the Polka King of Canada, but I know I've never seen a polka at any dance, wedding, or other gathering before.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jun 28, 2015 19:21:29 GMT
WI is DEFINETLY NOT a polka thing! but then again I'm in MN, and not far. Did you do the chicken dance too?
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Jun 28, 2015 19:22:36 GMT
I have a friend who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, when she got married her FIL paid for Polka lessons for the wedding party.
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anniebygaslight
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Post by anniebygaslight on Jun 28, 2015 19:23:01 GMT
Not common here.
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Post by melanell on Jun 28, 2015 19:23:00 GMT
Polka in general is definitely not unheard of at all around here. When I was a kid, there was a neighborhood store that played polkas throughout the store all day long.  And yes, I have seen polkas danced at weddings, too. |
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akathy
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Post by akathy on Jun 28, 2015 19:23:44 GMT
The polka was always a standard at wedding dances around here but is slowly going the way of the horse and buggy. Couples these days aren't happy with receptions at town halls and in barns anymore. They seem to favor country clubs and hotels now days and newer music so the polka music isn't played.
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anniebeth24
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Post by anniebeth24 on Jun 28, 2015 19:26:56 GMT
My DH's grandpa plays the accordion and attends polka festivals in Northern Michigan. He played several polkas at our wedding reception. DH dragged me around the dance floor - kinda wish I'd have had some lessons.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 19:28:52 GMT
I've never seen anyone Polka, at least I don't think so  |
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Post by librarylady on Jun 28, 2015 19:32:40 GMT
We have a large Czech community near my home town. Each weekend the dance hall had dances and the polka was popular.
At weddings, I have seen it, but only at the Czech weddings.
Around here, the Chicken Dance is always a part of the dancing at the wedding.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 19:35:27 GMT
My family does, but that's because we're Polish. One of my favorite memories was watching my Grandmother and her two sisters fly around the room dancing the polka. I haven't seen it at weddings outside my family.
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Post by melanieg on Jun 28, 2015 19:37:15 GMT
I grew up in Saskatchewan and there are always polkas at weddings...along with the chicken dance, 2 steps, waltz, butterfly, etc
I do find that as the older generations are not as frequent at weddings, etc now those dances may not be as popular.
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Post by melanell on Jun 28, 2015 20:04:59 GMT
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craftykitten
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Post by craftykitten on Jun 28, 2015 20:07:33 GMT
I'm kind of jealous that you all live in places where there are definite 'dances' and not just standing-on-the-spot jiggling which is what happens here |
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Post by doesitmatter on Jun 28, 2015 21:38:51 GMT
Um, no.
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eastcoastpea
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Post by eastcoastpea on Jun 28, 2015 21:41:04 GMT
Polkas used to be played all the time at weddings around here. Now, you're lucky if there is one or two played. I miss it. It always seemed like anyone who was dancing the polka was so happy to be doing it.
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mimima
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Post by mimima on Jun 28, 2015 21:41:18 GMT
I've also never seen Polka Dancing anywhere, much less at a wedding
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 21:45:42 GMT
We polka at Polish and German weddings here!! I can rememebr going to a a cousins wedding in Milwaukee when I was a kid and doing a lot of polka there, too. I will say, we do a polka or two at weddings these days and then move on to other more current songs.
ETa: When my friends were getting married 15-20 years ago, the wedding couple would chose a polka or two to make their dad or Great Uncle Stan happy. It was more of a "let's make the old people happy" kind of thing.
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Post by Miss Ang on Jun 28, 2015 21:52:27 GMT
I live in east central Illinois and we do not polka. I have family that lives in northern Indiana and Southern Michigan and they do polka!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 22:01:18 GMT
Almost every Sunday my father would set up the stereo to play polka music. I used to have a huge family that would gather just to dance in the afternoon. If there were enough we would square dance.
I live polka music, but I really dislike Mexican music that does a really poor imitation of it.
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Post by hop2 on Jun 28, 2015 22:09:32 GMT
No not really. They did where I grew up but not here. ( even tho it's only an hour away where I grew up people used to polka all night. Way back then I even remember weddings where they had the Jimmy Stur band. I'm pretty sure they don't do weddings anymore. But their records are still a popular thing at weddings up there.
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 28, 2015 22:12:44 GMT
I remember seeing at wedding in MN and ND about 40 years ago. I live in CO and have never seen it at a wedding. The chicken dance does rear its ugly head now and then.
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Post by freeatlast on Jun 28, 2015 22:26:49 GMT
You must polka throughout the year at weddings so you are in shape for Oktoberfest.
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MorningPerson
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Post by MorningPerson on Jun 28, 2015 22:32:51 GMT
Oh, does this ever stir up some fond memories…. I come from a very large extended family with lots of Polish blood and so when I was a kid I went to many, many weddings - mostly older cousins. Polkas were a staple. I can still see my long-deceased aunts and uncles, and all of us kids, filling the floor with so much fun! Here's one we danced to often: Beer Barrel Polka |
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Post by Merge on Jun 28, 2015 22:37:15 GMT
Common at the family weddings I grew up attending in South Dakota/MN. No room to polka at the tiny venue at which I had my wedding reception, or we totally would have done it.
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perumbula
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Post by perumbula on Jun 28, 2015 22:45:38 GMT
I was taught how to polka as a teen (it's not hard. one lesson will usually do it.) So I showed dh the basics. We danced the polka once at one dance. There was a fast song that hardly anyone was dancing to but had a good rhythm for polka. We didn't even get all the way around the floor before it completely cleared and it was like we were putting on a floor show for everyone else. So embarassing. I was definitely not good enough to be doing an exhibition dance.  No. people around here do not polka.  |
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oaksong
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Post by oaksong on Jun 28, 2015 22:56:52 GMT
Here in California, there are plenty of Midwestern transplants. The polka used to be common at weddings, depending on where the old folks were from. These days it's pretty much just pop DJ music.
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tiffanytwisted
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Post by tiffanytwisted on Jun 28, 2015 22:58:06 GMT
I grew up in NJ (if that matters) and at the Italian weddings, no polka. But any Polish, Slavik, Czech, etc. weddings? Hell yeah! One of my favorite memories was watching my Grandmother and her two sisters fly around the room dancing the polka. Absolutely! It's amazing how fast they can twirl together and around the dance floor at the same time. Loved watching everyone from my mom's side of the family polka. Really cool stuff. And I agree - it's nice to throw in an actual 'dance' once in a while, not just the standing-on-the-spot-jiggling stuff. |
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jayfab
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Post by jayfab on Jun 28, 2015 23:00:40 GMT
Oh yeah. I grew up in mid MI and our city had a HUGE Polish population. Funny this thread came up now, there was a big Polish festival this weekend so my FB feed is full if polka videos.
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Post by peaittsburgh on Jun 28, 2015 23:00:56 GMT
My family does, but that's because we're Polish. One of my favorite memories was watching my Grandmother and her two sisters fly around the room dancing the polka. I haven't seen it at weddings outside my family. Same here. |
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And yes, I have seen polkas danced at weddings, too.
