Keffer Collection of Sheet Music, ca. 1790-1895 Content and design by John Bewley

Philadelphia in Images: Interior View of Students Dancing at M. Hlasko's Dancing Academy

Lithograph by Schnabel, Finkeldey & Demme Lith. on title page of: Pupils' Polka / composed and dedicated to the pupils of Hlasko's Dancing Academy by A. Tatzel, Senr.
Philadelphia: G. Andre, 1857.
Box 27, no. 10.

Dance functions in Philadelphia were a major social outlet dating back at least to 1748 when the Philadelphia Assemblies series of balls was begun. These dances created demand for music, musicians, and dance instructors in the city. M. Hlasko was a dancing master who operated a studio located at 219 South Broad Street. The illustration, by Schnabel, Finkeldey & Demme Lithographers, shows young pupils practicing a dance in his studio, with two musicians playing on the raised platform in the background.