During the 1920s and 1930s in the United States dance marathons were all the rage. Couples would dance non-stop for hours, days, sometimes even months for monetary prizes, while providing entertainment for the audiences watching. These marathons were real endurance contests and often one of the partners would fall asleep, but as long as they remained in motion and their knees did not touch the floor, they were still in the game. The longest dance marathon in history was held in Atlantic City and lasted from June 6 to 30 November 1932 (a total of 4152 hours and 30 minutes — without stopping). The prize money was a 1000 dollars.

Song for today: Brian Ferry – Don’t Stop the Dance