Dancing Plague of 1518: Epidemic of the Peculiar

Dancing Plague of 1518: Epidemic of the Peculiar

The Dancing Plague of 1518 was an outbreak of compulsive dancing in Strasbourg, Alsace, that began on July 14, 1518, when Frau Troffea danced alone in the street. Within a month, roughly 400 people had joined. Historians now read it as mass psychogenic illness, not a poisoning. Published: June 5, 2026. Last reviewed: June 5, […]