Macabre American Dance Marathons Of 1920s-1930s (26 PICS)

They became popular during the years of the Great Depression and lasted for hours, weeks, sometimes even months. It was a weird sight – exhausted, barely moving people, who had to sleep and eat while dancing. The first official dance marathon “Audubon Ballroom Marathon” took place in New York on the 30th of March, 1923. There, the first world record was set – a woman managed to dance for 27 hours in a row. During the years of Great Depression these marathons gave people hope of getting some money to live on, as winners received anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 dollars, a huge sum at the time. But most people were dancing because of one reason – participants received free food…