Typical rhythm of a Polonaise

The polonaise is one of the fifth national Polish dance. It started as a folk dance and then became popular among the Polish nobility. It is in 3/4 time. It follows a distinctive rhythm as illustrated above. Many polonaises are composed in what is called ternary form, or song form, or minuet and trio. These forms all follow an A-B-A pattern. The music of the A sections is similar in both sections, if not exactly identical. The B section is entirely different. It provides contrast in some way to the A sections. In the courts of the aristocracy musicians would often play a polonaise from the gallery while the people danced below in the reception hall.

Chopin's Polonaise at a ball in the Hôtel Lambert in Paris