Sunday, January 4th was our first day back on campus as a group. We were all excited to be together for our week of class and for the week leading up to our departure. Professor Banks started us off with a Polka dance called the German Clap Song. Polka originated in Bohemia, a part of Czech Republic. The word “Polka” means “Polish Woman” and is generally attributed to a woman named Anna Slezakova whom danced to local folk song in 1834 and the name of the dance pulka is Czech for “half-step”, which refers to the rapid shift of the feet. The dance was introduced into Prague ballrooms in 1835. From there it developed all around Europe taking many different forms. Following our dance we dove into our course material, schedule for the week and a broad overview of our itinerary for over in Europe. We have a busy week ahead of us, but we are looking forward for what is to come!
Here is a video of our German Clap Song IMG_1887
Coursey Edwards