When a Town In 1518 Couldn't Stop Dancing
The unexplained mystery of Strasbourg
Few historic events are as bizarre and captivating as the so-called Dancing Plague of 1518.
Yeah… you read that right.
A small town in what is now modern-day France, where hundreds of people suddenly and inexplicably start dancing non-stop for days on end.
No, this wasn't a medieval rave or a particularly enthusiastic festival.
This was a real event that baffled contemporaries and continues to intrigue historians and scientists to this day.
How It All Began
This tale kicks off in July 1518 in Strasbourg, a city in Alsace, then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
It was a typical summer day when Frau Troffea, a seemingly ordinary woman, stepped out onto the street and began to dance.
And dance, she did.
Unusual? Maybe? It got more perplexing, though. Frau Troffea didn't stop. She kept dancing, day and night, for nearly a week straight.
At first, onlookers might have been amused, perhaps even entertained. But as days passed and Frau Troffea showed no signs of stopping, amusement turned to concern.
And then, something even stranger happened: other people started joining in.
From Solo to Flash Mob
Within a week, 34 others had joined Frau Troffea's non-stop dance party.
By the end of the month, the number had swelled to about 400.
These weren't people who thought, "Hey, that looks like fun!" and decided to cut loose. These individuals found themselves unable to stop dancing, caught in a trance-like state that compelled them to keep moving despite exhaustion, hunger, and injury.
Contemporary accounts describe the dancers moving through the streets, some screaming in pain, others appearing eerily calm, their feet bloodied but still shuffling along to an unheard rhythm.
The dancing would continue day and night, with dancers only stopping when their bodies literally gave out from exhaustion.
When the Music Stops
This wasn't just a quirky historical footnote.
The Dancing Plague had real and tragic consequences. Many dancers suffered from exhaustion, dehydration, and injuries. Some even died from heart attacks or strokes brought on by the non-stop physical exertion.
The city of Strasbourg found itself facing a crazy crisis.
Local authorities were at a loss, faced with a problem unlike anything they'd encountered before.
Good Intentions, Bad Results
In a move that might seem counterintuitive to us today, the local authorities initially thought that the cure for this dancing plague was… more dancing.
They operated under the belief that the afflicted would only recover if they danced it out of their systems.
To facilitate this, they took some extraordinary measures:
They constructed a wooden stage in the center of the city to give the dancers a designated area to continue their involuntary performance.
They hired musicians to play accompaniment, thinking this might help the dancers find a rhythm and eventually exhaust the mania.
They even brought in healthy people to dance alongside the afflicted, hoping to support them and keep their spirits up.
Unfortunately, these well-intentioned efforts only seemed to make things worse. The number of dancers continued to grow, and the non-stop movement only led to more exhaustion and more deaths.
Making Sense of the Madness
Over the centuries, historians, scientists, and other researchers have proposed various theories to explain the Dancing Plague.
Let's break down some of the most prominent ones:
1. The Fungus Among Us
One popular theory suggests that the dancers were suffering from ergotism, caused by consuming ergot, a fungus that can grow on rye and other grains.
Ergot is known to produce alkaloids that can cause hallucinations, spasms, and other neurological symptoms.
Proponents of this theory point out that ergot poisoning was not uncommon in medieval Europe, and its symptoms could potentially explain the strange behavior of the dancers.
However, critics argue that ergot poisoning typically results in restricted blood flow to the extremities, which would make sustained dancing difficult if not impossible.
2. The Power of the Mind
Another leading theory is that the Dancing Plague was a case of mass psychogenic illness, also known as mass hysteria.
This occurs when a group of people collectively manifest similar physical or emotional symptoms, usually in response to a perceived threat or stress.
Strasbourg in 1518 was certainly under stress.
The region had suffered from a string of terrible harvests and famines. Diseases like syphilis were rampant.
In this context of extreme hardship and anxiety, the theory goes, Frau Troffea's initial dancing could have triggered a kind of mass stress response in the community.
3. Religious Fervor
Some historians have linked the Dancing Plague to the veneration of St. Vitus, a Christian saint believed to have the power to curse people with a dancing mania.
The cult of St. Vitus was particularly strong in the region at the time.
This theory suggests that a combination of extreme religious fervor and belief in the possibility of such a curse could have contributed to the spread of the dancing behavior.
Once a few people started, others who believed in the possibility of such a curse might have been more susceptible to joining in.
4. A Stress-Relief Ritual Gone Wrong
Another theory proposes that the dancing wasn't entirely involuntary, but rather a kind of stress-relief ritual that spiraled out of control.
In this view, the initial dancers might have been engaging in a form of ecstatic dance as a way to cope with the extreme stresses of their lives.
As the dancing continued and grew, it took on a life of its own, fueled by the community's shared anxiety and the attention it garnered.
The End of the Dance
After about two months, the dancing began to subside.
Two months!!!
There was no dramatic end, no sudden stop – people gradually stopped dancing, and life in Strasbourg slowly returned to normal.
But the question remains: why did it stop?
Some historians suggest that the cooler weather of autumn might have played a role, as it would have made sustained physical activity more difficult. Others propose that the dancers were finally isolated and cared for properly, allowing them to rest and recover.
Regardless of how it ended, the Dancing Plague is one of the most well-documented cases of mass hysteria in pre-modern times, thanks to extensive contemporary accounts and municipal records.
What Can We Learn?
While the Dancing Plague of 1518 might seem like a bizarre relic of a less enlightened time, it offers some lessons:
The Power of Mass Psychology: The event demonstrates how beliefs and behaviors can spread rapidly through a community, reminding us to be aware of the influence of mass movements and shared beliefs.
Stress and Trauma Responses: The unusual manifestation of stress in the Dancing Plague highlights how societal pressures can lead to unexpected outcomes. It encourages us to consider how we collectively cope with stress and trauma.
The Importance of Context: Understanding the Dancing Plague requires us to consider the historical, cultural, and social context of 16th-century Strasbourg. It's a reminder that we should always consider context when trying to understand behavior that seems strange or inexplicable.
The Complexity of Human Behavior: The various theories about the cause of the Dancing Plague highlight the complex interplay between psychology, biology, culture, and environment in shaping human behavior.
The Limits of Contemporary Knowledge: The response of the authorities, while well-intentioned, likely made the situation worse. It's a humbling reminder that even our best current knowledge might sometimes lead us astray.
The Beat Goes On
The Dancing Plague of 1518 is one of the most fascinating mysteries I have ever read about.
A testament to the complexity of human psychology and the sometimes thin line between normalcy and chaos.
We don't know exactly what caused hundreds of people to dance until they dropped in the streets of Strasbourg.
And I can't believe I've never heard of it before.