The Dancing Plague of 1518: Cause & Effect of A Mass Hysteria

Mass hysterias have always been of public interest — but none are as puzzling as the Dance Plague of 1518. This Harklist explores how and why a group of people danced themselves to death.

Mass hysterias have always been of public interest — but none are as puzzling as the Da... more

Curated byMichelle Krasovitski, Hark Contributor

6 CLIPS23 MINS

Clip 1 of 6

The First Person Afflicted with Dancing Plague

Where did the Dancing Plague start and, perhaps more to the point, with whom? The host of Morbid Curiosity introduces us to the first victim: a Strasbourg woman whose uncontrollable dancing sparked the beginning of one of history’s most puzzling myst

The First Person Afflicted with Dancing Plague

The Morbid Curiosity Podcast

4 MINS

Clip 2 of 6

What Was the Role of Dance in the Late Middle Ages?

Dr. John Waller, Associate Professor of the History of Medicine, joins the hosts of Dan Snow’s History Hill to discuss the religious, political, and historical context of dance in Europe to better understand the anomaly of “Dancing Mania.”

What Was the Role of Dance in the Late Middle Ages?

Dan Snow's History Hit

3 MINS

Clip 3 of 6

The Early Days of the Strasbourg Dancing Plague

Disease ecologists Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann Updyke explain the gradual manic descent that afflicted the dancers of Strasbourg, describing the confusion-filled and panic-stricken early days.

The Early Days of the Strasbourg Dancing Plague

This Podcast Will Kill You

5 MINS

Clip 4 of 6

Possible Causes of the Dancing Plague

From spider bites to fungi, Stephen Hackett and Myke Hurley introduce two theories that could explain the dancing plague. They also discuss the tarantism phenomenon, a similar mania that struck southern Italy in the 1500s.

Ungeniused

3 MINS

Clip 5 of 6

Is Dancing Mania in the Brain?

Hosts Ken Jennings and John Roderick propose another theory as to why the people of Strasbourg couldn’t stop dancing: a neurological infection that would cause the disordered to jerk and move in uncontrollable ways.

Omnibus

3 MINS

Clip 6 of 6

Plague Psychology

Peasant life in the late Middle ages, especially following the Black Death, was not easy. In this clip, Dr. John Waller and Dan Snow discuss the psychology behind the dancing mania, focusing on the curious effects that stress has on the human psyche.

Dan Snow's History Hit

2 MINS

Curated byMichelle Krasovitski

6 CLIPS23 MINS

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The Dancing Plague of 1518: Cause & Effect of A Mass Hysteria

The First Person Afflicted with Dancing Plague

The Morbid Curiosity Podcast

What Was the Role of Dance in the Late Middle Ages?

Dan Snow's History Hit

The Early Days of the Strasbourg Dancing Plague

This Podcast Will Kill You

Possible Causes of the Dancing Plague

Ungeniused

Is Dancing Mania in the Brain?

Omnibus

Plague Psychology

Dan Snow's History Hit

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