The History Column: Dance Until You Drop

By Lyna Milan
     Have you ever wondered where the term "dance until you drop" comes from? Well, the saying comes from a hilarious, but true story: the dancing plague of 1518. It all started in a small town in France called Strasbourg when a woman named Frau Troffea started dancing in the town square. She did this to aggravate her husband who did not like dancing. She danced day and night with no breaks. She couldn’t stop! Some historians say that other people in the town saw her feet bleeding from dancing so much. But it wasn’t long until others joined in. No matter what they did, nobody could stop dancing. By August, nearly 400 people were at the mercy of the dancing plague. The only way they could stop dancing was if they died. Otherwise they couldn’t stop.  I know this may sound crazy but it actually happened!
​     Nobody really knows why or how this happened. Some historians say that it was caused by stress from the sicknesses that had been sweeping over Europe. Others say that it was part of a religious cult. And some say that it was from ingesting something poisonous. This was a very exciting and weird part of history, and I am very grateful it didn’t happen today.  So the lesson in this story is, do not dance in the town square if you have been stressed or had food poisoning lately. Trust me.