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polonaise, Polish polonez, in dance, dignified ceremonial dance that from the 17th to 19th century often opened court balls and other royal functions. Likely once a warrior’s triumphal dance, it was adopted by the Polish nobility as a formal march as early as 1573 for the coronation of Henry of Anjou as king of Poland. In its aristocratic form the dancers, in couples according to their social positions, promenaded around the ballroom with gliding steps accented by bending the knees slightly on every third step. Polonaise music is in 3/4 time. The dance was used as a musical form by such prominent composers as Beethoven, Handel, Mussorgsky, and Chopin.
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