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Is the Strasbourg dancing plague real?
In July 1518, residents of the city of Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) were struck by a sudden and seemingly uncontrollable urge to dance. The hysteria kicked off when a woman known as Frau Troffea stepped into the street and began to silently twist, twirl and shake.
Who is Frau Troffea?
In July 1518, a woman whose name was given as Frau (Mrs.) Troffea (or Trauffea) stepped into the street and began dancing. She seemed unable to stop, and she kept dancing until she collapsed from exhaustion. After resting, she resumed the compulsive frenzied activity.
What is the central idea of the dancing plague of 1518?
The Dancing Plague of 1518 was a strange case of mass hysteria in Strasbourg, a village in present-day France. Hundreds of people in this tiny region were overcome by a sudden urge to dance—to the brink of extreme exhaustion and sometimes death.
How did the dancing plague stop?
In September, as a last resort, the magistrates took the dancers to the top of a mountain, where they prayed for absolution in front of a shrine to Saint Vitus. The dancers were led around the shrine while wearing blood red shoes. The epidemic eventually just died out on its own.
How many died from the dancing plague?
No one knows what caused the townspeople to dance against their will — or why the dancing persisted for so long — but in the end, as many as 100 people died. Historians dubbed this bizarre and deadly event the dancing plague of 1518 and we’re still sorting through its mysteries 500 years later.
How long did St Vitus dance last?
Vitus’ Dance, back in 1374, groups of people — sometimes thousands at a time — started dancing uncontrollably. It continued for days, and in some cases, weeks and months. Some people reportedly danced until they collapsed from exhaustion or even death, while others suffered heart attacks and broken bones.
Does the dancing disease still exist?
Dancing mania appears to have completely died out by the mid-17th century. According to John Waller, although numerous incidents were recorded, the best documented cases are the outbreaks of 1374 and 1518, for which there is abundant contemporary evidence.
Is St Vitus dance contagious?
Vitus’ Dance or the African laughing outbreak. “It’s unusual to find it in such a concentrated form, but it’s easy to find contagion and mimicry every day,” Cacioppo says. “Even babies show it.”
Does black plague still exist?
Bubonic plague still occurs throughout the world and in the U.S., with cases in Africa, Asia, South America and the western areas of North America. About seven cases of plague happen in the U.S. every year on average. Half of the U.S. cases involve people aged 12 to 45 years.
Why did the dancing plague start?
According to an account written in the 1530s by the irascible but brilliant physician Paracelsus, the “dancing plague of Strasbourg” began in mid-July 1518, when a lone woman stepped outside her house and jigged for several days on end. Within a week, dozens more had been seized by the same irresistible urge.
What happened to Frau Troffea?
It was just another July day when Frau Troffea began to dance a jive in the streets of Strasbourg. Onlookers apparently laughed and clapped at her energy and joie de vivre. It soon became clear that this was not a simple case of high spirits, however. Frau Troffea continued to dance, and dance, and dance, without rest, for six solid days.
How long did Frau Troffea dance for?
Frau Troffea continued to dance, and dance, and dance, without rest, for six solid days. Within a week, 34 people had joined her; by the end of the month, 400.
What is Frau Troffea’s approach?
Frau Troffea’s approach is an elaboration of bodily states from the most sophisticated to the most everyday, to the most informal and to the most abandoned.
What was the dancing plague of Strasbourg?
This is how the Dancing Plague of Strasbourg started 500 years ago – an incident which caused the death of many people through exhaustion, heart attack, hunger and thirst. It affected the whole society during its time, but still after many years it continues to generate intrigue and curiosity.