The Dancing Plague of 1518
The bizarre and terrifying history of the Strasbourg dancing plague, where hundreds danced themselves to death.
About this video
The bizarre and terrifying history of the Strasbourg dancing plague, where hundreds danced themselves to death.
Full transcript of The Dancing Plague of 1518
In the hot summer of 1518, a bizarre terror struck the city of Strasbourg. A lone woman stepped into a dusty street and began to dance frantically. She did not stop. For six days, Frau Troffea twirled without any music. Her feet bled onto the rough cobblestones, yet she kept spinning. Within a week, thirty-four others joined her, seized by the same madness. They thrashed like puppets controlled by invisible, mocking strings. By August, four hundred people were leaping and spinning under the blazing sun. Panicking, city doctors diagnosed 'hot blood' and prescribed more dancing to cure them. They built a massive wooden stage and hired musicians to keep the rhythm going. It was a fatal mistake. Dozens collapsed daily, their hearts bursting mid-stride. Was it ergot poisoning from moldy rye bread, causing vivid hallucinations? Or a mass psychogenic illness sparked by extreme stress and famine? By autumn, the dancing stopped, leaving quiet streets littered with empty shoes. The next time you tap your foot, ask yourself: could you stop if your life depended on it?