The weird story of the people who danced themselves to death

In history, some events happen that are hard to explain. One such event is the ‘Dancing Plague’ of Strasbourg, an incident that happened in the streets of the French city in 1518.

A group of people, mostly women, danced ceaselessly for days on end, with some dancing to the point of exhaustion and even death.

How could something so strange happen?

The story begins with a woman named Frau Troffea (sometimes referred to as Frau Troffea), who, in July 1518, started dancing in the streets of Strasbourg. But this wasn’t just a regular dance; it was more of an uncontrollable compulsion as she couldn’t stop herself from dancing.

It wasn’t long before her dance caught the attention of others, and soon, a growing number of curious people joined in. As more and more people joined the dance, it brought with it an unsettling and eerie atmosphere to Strasbourg.

The most puzzling part is that the dancing didn’t stop. Despite exhaustion, injuries, and even death, the dancers showed no signs of stopping. It was recorded that some danced until their feet bled, yet they didn’t stop. Some fainted from exhaustion but when they came to, they continued at a frenzied tempo, working hard to keep the motion going.

Some accounts recorded that in a bid to intervene, the authorities arranged for music and designated spaces for dancing, hoping that it would eventually wear the participants out. Unfortunately, all this was of no avail as their efforts seemed to intensify the dancing rather than subdue it. The dancing kept on, even to the point of death.

The exact cause of this dancing plague remains uncertain, but over the centuries, historians and scholars have come up with some theories as to why this would have happened. These theories include mass hysteria, stress-related disorders, religious fanaticism, and even ergot poisoning (a type of fungus that can grow on grains and has been linked to hallucinations and other symptoms).

Despite all of these theories, the Dancing Plague of Strasbourg remains a puzzle yet to be solved. Historical records have made it challenging to pinpoint the root cause and the truth remains elusive.