Can the Rebirth of the Dirndl Help Boost the Popularity of the Polka?

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The more we do the polka, the more we like it. It is the fastest social dance widely done today, so it’s good exercise. And it seems pretty tolerant to less-skilled dancers. If you learned in your childhood how to skip, you already know the basic step. And if your turn doesn’t get done in two measures, take four to do it. (But please remember to move along line of dance.) And since it’s Oktoberfest season right now, with the most popular destination being Munich, in the heart of Bavaria, it’s time for those who own traditional clothes—lederhosen and dirndls—to struggle into them. But, along with the increasing popularity of German comedians who are poking fun at Germany according to The Wall Street Journal is the increasing popularity of the dirndl … though the latest designs are departing from traditional colors and styles according to The New York Times. While women may say that every man looks better in a tuxedo (a good possibility if the alternative is lederhosen), it is likely that men would say that every woman looks better in a low-cut, tightly-laced traditional dirndl.

Germans Protest Good Friday Dance Ban

Although the role of religion continues to diminish in Germany, strict rules against dancing on religious holidays are still in place. But according to the March 29, 2013 Wall Street Journal, these rules are increasingly being challenged. Traditionalists say that the dancers can dance 364 days a year, while reformers say “I’ll let you play, you let me dance”. We are betting on the reformers, though we doubt that there is much couples (touch) dancing of the sort this blog focuses on. But any dancing is better than none.