Dance Marathons

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It’s quite interesting to read about the “marathon mania” that occurred in 1920s America. Marathons were all the rage for everyone who wanted to do something longer than it had ever been done before. There were people who decided to sit on flag poles for days and there were “rocking chair” derbies. Some participated in talking marathons and talked continuously for hours. But, when I heard that there was a couple in Chicago, named Mike Ritof and Edith Boudreaux, who danced for 214 ½ days, it was difficult to believe. That’s 5,148 hours. The rules of dance marathons were interesting to say the least. The couple dancing had to stay upright and had to stay in motion. If one partner fell asleep, or collapsed, the other person had to drag him/her along. The rules did allow for hourly breaks and a period of rest each night was also usually allowed. Eating, I guess had to been done while dancing and then there had to be “potty” breaks, too. You might wonder why people would do this? It was the prize money, of course. The 1920s were an era of Depression and $1000 was the usual prize, so many persons who participated NEEDED the money. Others did it just to participate in the “mania.” Finally, in 1933, New York Governor Herbert Lehman made dancing for more than EIGHT hours a criminal offense and signed a bill, basically banning dance marathons, at least in New York. Would you do it for $1000?