Dancing Sickness
An interesting article about the dancing sickness that broke out in Strasbourg five hundred years ago and what might have caused it. The epidemic started with just a few people dancing, and ended with hundreds seemingly compelled to dance until they fell – with many of them dying. It's a topic I explore in my novel
Dark Tracks
, when the dancing sickness hits a village and not all can resist it.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/05/bizarre-dance-epidemic-of-summer-1518-strasbourg
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/05/bizarre-dance-epidemic-of-summer-1518-strasbourg
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megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))
(new)
Jul 10, 2018 07:57AM
...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)
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megs_bookrack wrote: "...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)"Omg I had no idea! This is so crazy.
megs_bookrack wrote: "...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)"This makes me wonder if the ballet "The Red Shoes" was also based on this:
" Finally, the dancers were taken to a shrine dedicated to St Vitus, located in a musty grotto in the hills above the nearby town of Saverne, where their bloodied feet were placed into red shoes and they were led around a wooden figurine of the saint."
Allison ☾ wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)"Omg I had no idea! This is so crazy."
hahahaha - I was totally kidding but it would make sense right!?
Alexandra wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)"This makes me wonder if the ballet "The Red Shoes" was also based on this:
" Finally, the dancers..." I think that one may be but I was totally kidding on Footloose - although it would help to explain why they feared it SO much!
megs_bookrack wrote: "I think that one may be but I was totally kidding on Footloose - although it would help to explain why they feared it SO much!"
hahahaha
Ok, the ballet "The Red Shoes" is about a performance of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Red Shoes", and for those who are unfamiliar is basically is about a girl who wears red shoes that will not come off and compels her to dance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red...
According to that "The origins of the story is based on an incident Andersen witnessed as a small child. His father, who was a shoemaker, was sent a piece of red silk by a rich lady to make a pair of dancing slippers for her daughter. Using some red leather along with the silk, he carefully created a pair of shoes only for the rich customer to tell him they were awful. She said he had done nothing but spoil her silk. To which his father replied, "In that case, I may as well spoil my leather too," and he cut up the shoes in front of her."
But, I still wonder :D
megs_bookrack wrote: "Allison ☾ wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)"Omg I had no idea! This is so crazy."
hahahaha - I was totally kidding but it wo..."
Well I prefer this story so I'm sticking to it lmao.
Allison ☾ wrote: "Well I prefer this story so I'm sticking to it lmao. ."I don't blame ya, it's a great story :D
Alexandra wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "I think that one may be but I was totally kidding on Footloose - although it would help to explain why they feared it SO much!"
hahahaha
Ok, the ballet "The Red Shoes" is a..." That's definitely based on it, I bet!!! Now I want to read that!
Allison ☾ wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "Allison ☾ wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "...and this event is what the movie Footloose was very loosely based on ;)"Omg I had no idea! This is so crazy."
hahahaha - I was tot..." me too!
megs_bookrack wrote: "Alexandra wrote: "megs_bookrack wrote: "I think that one may be but I was totally kidding on Footloose - although it would help to explain why they feared it SO much!"
hahahaha
Ok, the ballet "T..."
Me too! I’ve seen the movie based upon n the ballet, bit never the actual story
Actually, a French writer recently wrote a historical novel based on the dancing sickness:https://www.amazon.fr/Entrez-dans-dan...
This has always been mentioned in Clinical Psychology classes (Topic: Mass Hysteria).
