Reading progress update: I've read 34 out of 208 pages.
EXCERPT:
...A writer in the Lewisburg (Pennsylvania) Chronicle wrote, "The modern imported dances such as the 'Polka'... are redolent with the lasciviousness of Paris and Vienna." The prevalence of the dance at elite balls was dampened when, in September 1853, American newspapers widely reported that Queen Victoria had prohibited polka dancing in her presence. No doubt, the queen's consternation only increased the dance's appeal to rebellious youth.
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