Strasbourg 1518 reliving a 16th century ‘dancing plague’ in lockdown
about 5 years in The guardian
Inspired by the true story of a summer dance mania in 1518, a haunting new Artangel project directed by Jonathan Glazer films lone performers around the world dancing till they drop
In the summer of 1518, in the French city of Strasbourg, a woman walked into the street and began to dance unstoppably, for days on end. Within a week, dozens more had been overcome by the same compulsion. Within a month, some of the hundreds who found themselves imprisoned by this irresistible urge to dance had danced themselves to death.
In 2020, another lone dancer begins to move, standing in the corner of a darkened room. Others join her, each in their own confined space in different countries around the world, locked in repetitive patterns of exhaustion, in movement that is both defiant and despairing. At points they collapse, but rise to dance once more. Continue reading...
Who is popular today?
