Dance marathons

Bop till you drop.

Alex Q. Arbuckle

c. 1923-1932

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/XZAvvUJPXKsBSg_GMDHZEFc5Ar4=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_6.jpg" caption="Ann Lawanick struggles to support her exhausted partner, Jack Ritof, during a dance marathon in Chicago." credit="Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images" alt=""]

During the Great Depression, a bizarre and little-known fad emerged across the United States: dance marathons. Beginning in 1923 as light-hearted competitions of endurance, dance marathons eventually transformed into something rather dark and exploitative. Contestants, who were often in dire financial straits, were given shelter and meals as long as they kept dancing, with a substantial cash award for the last couple standing.Rules varied from event to event, but many competitions allowed each dancer to take brief naps and bathroom breaks as long as their partner continued dancing. This allowed the marathons to stretch on for days, weeks and even months -- as exhausted dancers vied for prize money while event promoters charged gawkers an entrance fee to watch.Many cities and states, aghast at the humiliation of marathon dancers and concerned for their safety, passed statutes outlawing dance marathons. Today, some high schools and universities stage 12- or 24-hour dance marathons to raise money for charity.

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/SUTJpNgHtf0J8QuRk8zPObEiP3U=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_1.jpg" caption="Dancers participate in a 53-minute Charleston endurance competition." credit="Bettmann/Getty Images" alt=""]

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/GYMsD7shZJ5v_V32c26Ib8SQzYc=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_8.jpg" caption="" credit="Library of Congress" alt=""]

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/0hAfWJTFb4TP4UCpJI3tqB2exWg=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_2.jpg" caption="A dance marathon in Washington, D.C." credit="Bettmann/Getty Images" alt=""]

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/uNxeBiU7JVLhgID9WXUf83cY644=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_5.jpg" caption="" credit="Bettmann/Getty Images" alt=""]

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/dy5J_-Qb7CwNdjiJ_hWqRBmJfmE=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_3.jpg" caption="Exhausted contestants try to keep moving during a grueling dance marathon that began March 31, more than 900 hours earlier, in the Bronx. " credit="NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images" alt=""]

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/9tXGU-UczMu5hkkkP2poU9WrXWc=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_4.jpg" caption="Helen Jarm holds up Cliff Real, her third dance partner, during 1120 hours of marathon dancing." credit="Bettmann/Getty Images" alt=""]

[img src="http://i.amz.mshcdn.com/-qDC4iziQl6XOjjCcmMz3LDuekc=/fit-in/1440x1440/uploads%2F2016%2F6%2F6%2Fdancemarathons_7.jpg" caption="Frank and Marie Micholowsky, several weeks into a dance marathon in Chicago." credit="ullstein bild/Getty Images" alt=""]