Wisconsin State Dance
Polka
Adopted in 1993.
The newest state symbol was created when 1993 Wisconsin Act 411 amended Section 1.10 of the statutes to name the polka as the state dance.
The bill was introduced at the request of a second grade class from Charles Lindbergh Elementary School in Madison and supported by several groups, including the Wisconsin Polka Boosters, Inc., and the Wisconsin Folk Museum. Supporters documented the polka heritage of Wisconsin and provided evidence that the polka is deeply ingrained in Wisconsin cultural traditionsWisconsin State Dance: Polka
For those who simply must know why the polka was recently given official status over the Chicken Dance, the Twist or the Hokie Pokie, and the cloggers, waltzers and Irish jiggers still aren't happy. The request for a state dance was by a second grade class from Charles Lindbergh Elementary School in Madison. Many groups supported making the Polka the state dance. Wisconsin has a polka heritage and is in many Wisconsin cultural traditions.
Wisconsin Law
The law designating polka as the official Wisconsin state dance is found in the Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 1, Section 1.10(2)
CHAPTER 1 SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF THE STATE
1.10 State song, state ballad, state waltz, state dance, and state symbols.
(2) The Wisconsin state dance is the polka.
