The 1518 Dancing Plague of Strasbourg

Whilst ‘Strictly’ fever grips the nation every winter, back in 16th century France,

a dancing plague brought hundreds of people to their feet to dance until they could stand

no more. In one of the strangest episodes in European history, the 1518 Dancing

Plague of Strasbourg saw a spontaneous outbreak of dancing grip the local populace. Up to 400 people

danced day and night until they collapsed, with some perhaps even dying from exhaustion.

What could cause people to get up and quite literally dance the skin off their feet?

Historians have debated the reason behind the dancing plague, but the consensus

seems to be that it was caused by stress-induced mass hysteria.