In 1518 a plague broke out in Strasbourg causing the residents to dance until they died:
She was still dancing several days later. Within a week about 100 people had been consumed by the same irresistible urge to dance. The authorities were convinced that the afflicted would only recover if they danced day and night. So guildhalls were set aside for them to dance in, musicians were hired to play pipes and drums to keep them moving, and professional dancers were paid to keep them on their feet. Within days those with weak hearts started to die.
By the end of August 1518 about 400 people had experienced the madness. Finally they were loaded aboard wagons and taken to a healing shrine. Not until early September did the epidemic recede.
The theory is that the people began dancing because of the extreme distress caused by famine, disease, and poverty. The need to dance was so strong that when the urge finally overtook every reason not to dance it ended up killing them.
This reminds me of a documentary I saw in an experimental film class in university. The people of an African (I believe - might have been Haitian...?) village would set aside a day every year or so to go into trances. They would induce themselves into feverish and violent dancing and convulse until they frothed at the mouth, claiming spirits had overtaken them. Animal sacrifices were made. Child shamans spoke in tongues. Huge riotous gatherings took place. And then, the next day, everything went back to normal. People behaved as if nothing unusual had happened. Any indiscretions were not addressed. It was as if it simply did not happen.
Apparently this was a way for them to release stress - these trance dance rituals. They ascribed a higher power to the act of dancing so that they could completely release themselves and be as violent and frenetic as needed without being self-conscious about their movements. I guess it's the same reason that people drink before they feel comfortable dancing. It would appear that the need to dance is inherent, but only when we're either completely desperate for it or we are sure our movements will have no consequences can it really be released. Looking at these examples, it seems that dancing is not at all a frivolous or unimportant activity. A night out on the town could very well save your life.
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