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Whenever a dance craze takes hold there always follows a spate of related injuries and the current situation is not new by any manner of means. The tarantella is an Italian folk dance whose origins date to the Middle Ages. The choreographed steps are associated with choremania, (a psychological disorder), specifically tarantism, which involved frenetic, spontaneous dancing caused by the bite Latrodectus tarantula spider. The venom caused headaches, fainting, shortness of breath, giddiness, convulsive movements (shaking, trembling, and twitching), as well as possible hallucinations. Tarantism caused people to dance all day until they literally expired. Tarantism is considered to be similar to the choremania outbreak in Germany of Johannistanz (St. John's Dance, also known as Veitanz (St. Vitus Dance). At times of epidemic a means of normalising the behaviour was for musicians to play mandolins, tamborines, or other instruments while the taranti danced. Many reported to have a religious experience during their long dancing episodes and subsequently religious pilgrims adopted ritualised dancing to achieve trance and ecstatic states. The often reported headaches, shortness of breath, muscle soreness, and exhaustion were under these circumstances related simply to extended physical exertion. In the 1930s the Western World became preoccupied with body image and youth culture. Marathons of all types took place and dance marathons in particular were extremely popular with many people literally dancing until they dropped. Swing dances were even more athletic then the Charleston and dancers were getting younger and capable of more physical moves. The zenith was reached in 1936 as new dance crazes which came and went. Shoe styles altered to give support to the foot as foot strain became the most reported injury. Ankle hugging straps became vogue and shoes were decorated with bows and fastened by buttons. Arch supports became the order of the day and as body sculpting, exercise and fad diets prevailed. Naked feet had to date been taboo but tanned feet became fashionable as fashion sandals became vogue. In the sixties concerns were raised again at the wisdom of twisting in stilettos. The heeled shoe had been the horror of all dance hall owners since 1952 because of the damaged they caused to the floor surfaces. The introduction of discos and swell in pop music once again brought a spate of foot and ankle related injuries. A decade later the condition Disco Foot (a complete collapse of foot structure) was reported at A&E across the western world. The popularity of Saturday night Fever ensured more people were tripping the light fantastic. The same phenomenon came a decade later with Raver’s Foot.
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Warning on dance injuries from Physiotherapists
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