DANCE MANIA.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 July 1923, Page 1

DANCE MANIA.

(iSv S. JL 1,., in l),ii!v Mail). The nows 1 rolli tin.- United Stales ilinl alter IJ hours' continuous dancing a mini's brain gave way under t!ie strain ami lie broke away from his partner in a state of violent insanity direel I v eon licet s the present craze for "non-stop" (lancing with the various epidemics of dancing mania which from time to time have swept Europe. Aboiil J 37-4 large numbers of people appeared in the streets of Aix-la-Chap-clle, dancing in reckless abandon. They formed great circles, hand in hand, and with every evidence of dementia continued their frenzied evolutions for hours, until sheer exhaustion caused them to collapse. The disease spread rapidly and scenes of the wildest description were witnessed at Cologne and Metz. Men and women, boys and girls, left their occupations to whirl with each other in lire craziest manner. The lure of the new mania was irresistible and home and work alike wore disregarded. Whole districts were disorganised by the virulence of the disorder. Gangs of beggars, spuriously reproducing the provocative gestures and spasms of tin afflicted, helped to spread the infection, until the authorities, brooming seriously alarmed. abandoned their lire altitude of sympathetic toleration and adopted harsher methods In deal wiih Hie situation. A morbid religious element crept into some epidemics. S(. Vitus, ii v.as said, iust before hi- martyrdom had prayed that he m'ghi protect from Iho dancing mania iho.-e who nh-ervctl his grilig _M victims, some of whom lived as far as five miles away from the factory .am! had merely heard of the incident. i-»rr:f;yi!w:i |, wi*iT«r rt-Tt’lT' J£dt ffOS2C BUT** HE. FW3IS