Taken from the patriotic-heroic opera "A Life for the Tsar," in which Glinka presents a tableau of four Polish dances. One dance is the Krakoviak, a fast, syncopated imitation of horses. Well-loved in the Krakow region for military as well as civilian use, the horses steps are mimicked by a large on-stage band. This fiery dance is an important part of this popular piece of the Russian operatic repertory.