Modern Mysteries

'Dancing mania' mystery endures 600 years on

By T.K. Randall
June 27, 2016

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Between the 14th and 17th centuries, cases of choreomania or 'dancing plague', some of which involving hundreds of people, were reported on numerous occasions across mainland Europe.

One particularly fascinating case began in the German city of Aachen where citizens were reported to have emerged from their homes in large numbers to writhe and twist uncontrollably in the streets.

Accounts of the phenomenon detailed how those afflicted would dance non-stop for so long that they would eventually succumb to exhaustion and end up collapsing on to the ground.

Some believed that this bizarre delirium was the result of demonic possession or even the venom of a poisonous spider, however no explanation seemed to be able to account for the phenomenon.One particularly bad outbreak of the condition, which at the time became known as St. Vitus' dance, saw crowds of people in towns along the Rhine river dancing uncontrollably outside their homes.

Another occurred in Strasbourg in 1518 when a woman called Frau Troffea, who had started to dance continuously for no rhyme or reason, managed to 'infect' 400 people within one month.

Authorities even attempted to solve the problem by assigning those affected a guild hall and musicians in the hope that they would be able to get it all out of their systems.

Even today, the ultimate cause of this bizarre phenomenon still remains a total mystery.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

Tags: Dancing Mania, Europe, Germany