On July 14, 1518, in the streets of Strasbourg, a woman began to dance. Without reason, without music, without stopping. Records show that she danced for six days. Soon, hundreds of people joined in.
What happened 500 years ago in the Alsatian capital? How did the inhabitants of Strasbourg react to this dance epidemic? Far from being just a strange and anecdotal episode, the story of the dance epidemic is the starting point for an intriguing journey through history and religious and social practices.
Supported by archive footage and interviews with historians, doctors, professors and archivists, the film retraces the phenomenon of dancing mania and examines the ways in which people escape their fate, as well as collective manifestations of resistance to oppression.
Direction: Benoît Finck
Production: Point du Jour – Les Films du Balibari in coproduction with France Télévisions