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WHEN FRENCH RESIDENTS HAD THE UNCONTROLLABLE URGE TO DANCE Dance Until You Drop — Literally!
In July 1518, a strange mania seized the residents of the French city of Strasbourg (which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire). Hundreds were struck with the sudden and uncontrollable urge to dance — seemingly for no reason. These citizens would dance for days until collapsing from exhaustion, unconsciousness, or in some cases, death! This plague kicked off when Frau Troffea made her way into the streets and began to twist, twirl, and shake. She seemed unable to stop and kept dancing until she dropped from exhaustion. Many would assume that after collapsing, she would’ve stopped, but once she rested, she resumed the compulsive, frenzied dancing. It continued for a week, and other residents eventually joined her. Civic and religious leaders theorized that more dancing was the solution. So, they constructed a stage and gathered musicians to accompany the dancing and professional dancers to help the residents continue dancing. Yet, this only exacerbated the contagion, and by August, the dancing plague had claimed at least 400 victims. The local physicians declared the dance a natural disease from overheated blood. So, the only cure was for residents to dance themselves free of it. But it wasn’t long until the dancing plague took its toll. Many dancers would collapse from exhaustion or
unconsciousness, and some even died from heart attacks and strokes. The strange dance mania didn’t end until September, when the dancers were whisked away to pray for absolution. Many explanations for the dancing plague were blamed on demonic possession or curses, but investigators in the 20th century believed otherwise. They suggested that the affected residents may have consumed bread made from rye flour contaminated with the fungal disease ergot, which produces spasms and hallucinations. But, the most widely accepted theory is that the dancing plague was a mass psychogenic disorder. These outbreaks can occur under certain circumstances of extreme stress and generally take shape based on local fears. A series of famines and diseases like smallpox and syphilis tore through Strasbourg, which may have triggered the stress-induced hysteria.
It is not unreasonable to imagine how the constant fear of death could form panic that led to a mass psychogenic event. But, whatever the cause of this strange phenomenon, the dancing plague remains one of the world’s most interesting mysteries.
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