Polka give way to the two-step and new ragtime dances. Polka dancing enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after World War II, when many Polish refugees moved to the US, adopting this Bohemian style as a cultural dance. Polka dances are still held on a weekly basis across many parts of the US with significant populations of central European origin. It was also found in parts of South America. There are various styles of contemporary polka besides the original Czech dance, which is still the chief dance at any formal or countryside ball in the Czech Republic. One of the types found
Explosions-Polka Explosions-Polka Explosions-Polka, op. 43, is a polka written by Johann Strauss II in 1847. The title was inspired by a discovery of guncotton or nitrocellulose by German scientist Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1840. The Viennese press eagerly reported this discovery many years later in 1846, describing many products that can then be made 'explosive'. The polka is one of Strauss's novelty pieces, capturing a vogue. The "Explosions-Polka" was written for a benefit concert entitled 'Lust-Explosionsfest' (Joyful Explosions Festival), held in the Sträussl-Säle of the Josefstädter Theater on 8 February 1847. The polka incorporates many explosion effects throughout the piece, and