outbreak of dancing plague and strong which is now modern day france author and history professor john waller told the b.b.c. that in search of a solution authorities were convinced that the afflicted would only recover if they danced day and night basically it was turned into an episode of soul train except will likely weigh less rhythm or coronation and if you're having trouble picturing this just remember that soul train minus rhythm and coordination equals most dancers on american bandstand. even though the dance mania started with one woman dancing in the middle of strong the number of people who joined her group so much. that by the end of august 1518 about 400 people had experienced the madness not until early september did the epidemic recede after many of their hearts literally stopped beating yet what's just those important as the strange compulsion to dance is the mass hysteria that fuel it given the dancing plague in $1518.00 occurred during the prolonging period of famine and disease while the $1374.00 dancing playing coincided with another and much more infamous plague called th