In the summer of 1518, residents of Strasbourg witnessed an extraordinary outbreak of compulsive dancing. Historical accounts describe people dancing for days, apparently unable or unwilling to stop, while local authorities struggled to understand what was happening. ([Smithsonian Magazine][1])

This episode investigates the documented Dancing Plague of Strasbourg, the decisions that may have worsened the outbreak, and the competing explanations proposed centuries later. Ergot poisoning, religious belief, psychological distress, and collective behavior have all been considered, but historians still debate what truly happened. ([Smithsonian Magazine][1])

Were the dancers suffering from disease, poisoning, psychological distress, or something that can only be understood through the beliefs of their own time?