Pavane pour une infante défunte little princess might, in former times, have danced at the Spanish court". The pavane was a slow processional dance that enjoyed great popularity in the courts of Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This antique miniature is not meant to pay tribute to any particular princess from history, but rather expresses a nostalgic enthusiasm for Spanish customs and sensibilities, which Ravel shared with many of his contemporaries (most notably Debussy and Albéniz) and which is evident in some of his other works such as the "Rapsodie espagnole" and the "Boléro". Ravel dedicated the "Pavane" to his patron, the Princesse
Ruth Adams and the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band the age of 88. His drums are now on display at the Minnesota Historical Society. According to the band's website, they play "a mix of Polkas, Waltz's [sic], Foxtrots [sic], Country, Latin, and a little Dixieland." During their "Let's Bowl" appearances, Adams and company played suggestive polka tunes like "She Smoked My Cigar" and "I Told Her No". They got their start, and still play every Friday and Saturday, at Nye's Polonaise (better known as Nye's Polka Lounge) in northeast Minneapolis. Since the close of Nye's Polonaise, the Polka Band has performed at Can Can Wonderland in Saint Paul, MN.