Imagine being asked to dance for an hour. Fun and exciting. Now let’s increase this to 1 day. A bit strange, but we would love to dance for a day. Now imagine dancing for weeks and months, and that too, without a break. Impossible! Well, this is a story from France, where hundreds of people danced to their deaths in the summer of 1518. There was no music, no celebration, and no festival, but a crisis that has baffled physicians, clergy, and historians for centuries, as people kept dancing to a strange rhythm nonstop for weeks and months!
The Outbreak That Defied Logic
The city of Strasbourg in eastern France was under the Holy Roman Empire. It was a period of famine, disease, and spiritual anxiety when something happened that no one had anticipated. On July 14, 1518, a woman named Frau Troffea stepped out of her house and onto the street. Appearing as if half drunk, which she wasn’t, she started dancing, not with joy or music. She danced for hours and days and weeks with her feet blistering and body weakening, but with no traces of her stopping!
Within a week, more than 30 people had joined her, and by August, the number was over 400! People danced and danced until they were exhausted and collapsed. Some even resumed after a brief period of rest! Those who managed to stay safe from this invisible force described the dancers as having vacant eyes, spasmodic limbs, and crying for help without stopping, though.
The city administration was stunned, confused, and desperate to stop this madness from spreading. Doctors and physicians of that time diagnosed the dancers with a condition called ‘hot blood’, wherein the disease could only be cured by more dancing. So they got musicians and booked dance halls for those afflicted with the dancing plague. However, the plan backfired as this increased the crowd and their dance intensity.
Now the city administration has reversed its plan. They banned music, shut down halls, and sent the dancers to a shrine dedicated to St. Vitus, the patron saint of dancers and epileptics, believed to punish sinners with uncontrollable movement. There, they wore red shoes sprinkled with holy water, held small crosses, and participated in rituals meant to cleanse their souls.
And just as it started, by the end of September, the plague vanished!
Searching for Meaning in Madness
The epidemic started and ended mysteriously, leaving the world with only one question: ‘What was the cause of this bizarre outbreak?’ Over the centuries, historians, scientists, and psychologists have proposed numerous theories. Let’s have a look at the most popular ones:
- Mass Hysteria
Around that time, Strasbourg was gripped by famine, diseases, and religious anxiety. People believed that they were being punished by St. Vitus, who cursed sinners with uncontrollable dancing. The combination of a failing livelihood and spiritual fear might have led to a stress-induced psychosis, where psychological trauma is manifested physically. In a deeply religious and superstitious society, the fear of divine retribution could have triggered a contagious trance-like state, especially among those already vulnerable. It might be so that others joined in believing that dancing might help clear off or reduce their sins. - Ergot Poisoning
Ergot is a type of fungus that grows on damp rye and grains. It contains compounds that can cause convulsions, hallucinations, and spasms. Since eating rye bread was common in Strasbourg, this theory suggests that people might have ingested ergot, which led to the dancing plague. However, this theory is inconsistent as not everyone is expected to react to this poisoning in the same way. Besides, ergot causes more painful symptoms than dancing. - Religious Possession and the Curse of St. Vitus
In the 16th century, religion shaped every aspect of life, and many believed the dancers were cursed or possessed. St. Vitus, the patron saint of dancers and epileptics, was feared for punishing sinners with continuous dancing. Victims were taken to his shrine, where they wore red shoes sprinkled with holy water and held small crosses during rituals. Incense and Latin prayers were part of the healing process. This theory suggests that people danced because they believed they were cursed, and others joined in out of fear or guilt. The fact that the plague subsided after religious intervention adds weight to this explanation, showing how powerful collective belief can be in shaping behaviour. This theory is similar to mass hysteria except that in that case, people danced of their own will, and in this case, they were believed to be possessed. - Neurological and Medical Conditions
Some scientists believe that the outbreak was caused by a neurological disorder, such as Sydenham’s chorea, a condition that causes involuntary dance-like movements. However, this theory can’t explain why hundreds of people will suddenly exhibit this disorder. While individual cases might be explained by medical conditions, generalising them to others makes such theories less convincing.
Legacy and Lessons
Though the Dancing Plague eventually subsided, it caught the attention of people all around the world and got symbolised in art, literature, music and modern psychology to show how stress among the masses and religious beliefs can shape human behaviour in extraordinary ways.
In art, the plague inspired works like Hans Holbein’s ‘Dance of Death’, a series of woodcuts that show skeletons leading people to a final dance. In literature, August Strindberg’s novel ‘The Dance of Death’ and Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s novel ‘The Dance Tree’ talk about obsession, mass hysteria, grief and psychological grip. In music, the plague inspired Florence and The Machine’s album ‘Dance Fever’ and Black Sabbath’s ‘St. Vitus Dance’, each interpreting the event through modern lenses. In 2013, the Royal Ballet in London even staged a performance based on the plague. The Dancing Plague is also studied as a case of mass psychogenic illness, talking about how trauma, fear and cultural beliefs can hurt the human brain. This concept is still relevant in today’s world of viral trends and panic-driven responses.
The Dancing Plague of 1518 remains an unsolved and haunting mystery. What makes it more than just an urban legend is that it is a historical account with eyewitnesses and records, making it even scarier. It illustrates how the mind, left to wander in an atmosphere of stress and superstition, can take over the body and cause humans to do unthinkable things.