The dancing plague of 1518

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The dancing plague of 1518

Warm-up

Do you like dancing? (Yes, I like to...)

Vocabulary Match

disease •• wildly
hunger •• tiredness
believes •• thinks
uncontrollably •• spell
curse •• sickness
exhaustion •• starving

Vocabulary Answers

diseasesickness
hungerstarving
believesthinks
uncontrollablywildly
cursespell
exhaustiontiredness

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In July 1518, the people of Strasbourg, a city in France, started dancing ________. It began when a woman named Frau Troffea started dancing in the street. She danced by herself for a week before more people joined her. Soon, about 400 people were dancing. Doctors thought it was due to "hot blood" and advised them to keep dancing to get better.

The city built a stage and hired musicians to help. However, many dancers became very tired, and some even died from ________ or heart attacks. The dancing finally stopped in September when the dancers were taken to a shrine to pray.

Historian John Waller ________ the cause was fear of St. Vitus, a saint thought to bring a dancing ________. Stress from ________ and ________ may have also played a role.

In July 1518, the people of Strasbourg, a city in France, started dancing uncontrollably. It began when a woman named Frau Troffea started dancing in the street. She danced by herself for a week before more people joined her. Soon, about 400 people were dancing. Doctors thought it was due to "hot blood" and advised them to keep dancing to get better.

The city built a stage and hired musicians to help. However, many dancers became very tired, and some even died from exhaustion or heart attacks. The dancing finally stopped in September when the dancers were taken to a shrine to pray.

Historian John Waller believes the cause was fear of St. Vitus, a saint thought to bring a dancing curse. Stress from disease and hunger may have also played a role.

Quiz

  1. Who started dancing in Strasbourg in 1518?
  2. How long did Frau Troffea dance by herself?
  3. What did the doctors think was the cause of the dancing?
  4. What happened to some dancers because they were too tired?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Frau Troffea.
  2. A week.
  3. "Hot blood."
  4. Some died from exhaustion or heart attacks.

True or False

  1. The people of Strasbourg stopped dancing in August. T F
  2. The city built a stage and hired musicians. T F
  3. John Waller thinks the dancing was caused by a fear of a saint. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True

Conversation

A:Frau! Why are you dancing so much?
B:I don't know, I just can't stop!
A:Well, you've got the whole town dancing with you now.
B:I guess we all need a break from stress.
A:Maybe we should take a rest before we drop!
B:Yes... maybe we can dance over to the shrine for a break.

Discussion

  1. Do you like to dance when you're stressed?
  2. Have you ever danced for a long time?
  3. What is your favorite type of dance?
  4. Do you think music can help people feel better?
  5. Would you rather dance non-stop for 10 hours or study English non-stop for 10 hours?

Further Reading

https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-dancing-plague-of-1518

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