The dancing plague of 1518
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It was a funny sight on a fateful day in july 1518 when people saw Mrs troffea dancing fervently in the street of strasbourg without the aid of music or musical instruments, they all laughed at her and thought she was just one of those women who had gone off the bend, they joked about her, talked about her and went to their various houses without knowing that they just witnessed the beginning of a deadly plauge which is going to claim more than 200 lives
Mrs troffea continued her dance morning, afternoon and evening without resting, within a week she was joined by 34 dancers and within a month, there were about 400 dancers, dancing vigorously to the tune of death..without nobody singing or drumming for them.
As the dancers increased, some of them started dying from exhaustation, strokes, heart attacks, body pains etc , but this didn't deter the rest from continuing their dancing, they danced, danced and danced all over again, funningly enough am sure they danced all the different kinds of moves and styles of dancing we have today, name them azonto, kukere,jazz, chacha, even shoki is not left out.
On a serious note , as the dancing worsened, concerned nobles seek the advices of local physicians who ruled out the possible and astrological causes, but ascribed the plague to a natural disease which they term "Hot blood" technology and medicine are not advanced those days and the local physicians could not prescribe or find a cure to the dancing plague.and do you know what the authorities did? You would find this funny
The authorities encouraged more dancing! By opening two guildhalls( which could be referred to as disco rooms nowadays), grain market and even a wooden stage,the authorities did this because they believed that the dancers would recover only if they danced continuously day and night, to fasten or increase the effectiveness of this cure, authorities even paid for musicians to perform so that the dancers could dance more intensely.
And that is how it was done, until the dancing plague was eradicated, this plague has generated some unanswered questions over the years,but the main question is this
HOW DID MRS TROFFEA CONTACT THE DISEASE?
Did she just woke up one day and start dancing? Did she came into contact with anything? was it spiritual?..I guess these questions would still remain unanswered
But what we can ascertain is that the plague is contagious, else it wouldn't have affected a lot of people. But it is contacted through what? The air? Sweat? Or by just watching mere dancing steps? I guess this also would remain unanswered.
Let s just thank God it is 1518 and not 2015,
Else we d all have turn to MICHEAL Jackson
Don't be stingy, *winks* be dandy.share this Post
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