Dance: Marathons and spectacle

There are two reasons why the great depression of the 1930s, which cast a gloom all around the US, contributed much to the development of art and literature. First, people had the spare time to take part in cultural activities. Second, these activities were the source of income for a cash-strapped society. It was at this time that that dance marathons became popular. They began in the New Year in 1923, when Alma Cummings won a contest and set a world record by dancing for 27 hours with six partners. The record was broken by Mike Ritof and Edith Boudreaux in 1931. They started dancing on August 29 1930 and continued up to April 1 1931 at the Merry Garden Ballroom, Chicago, USA. They won a prize of $ 2000. They danced for a total of 5,154 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds. During the marathons, dancers were allowed to take short breaks. During the breaks, they would kick and and pinch one another to keep themselves active. For reasons of health, many countries banned marathons.

Folk marathons
Much before they became part of well-furnished auditoriums with the accompaniment of musical instruments, dance marathons existed in many parts of the world in the form of folk and popular dances. One of the examples of this is the dance of whirling dervishes of Mevlevi order (Islamic mystics in Turkey). The dervishes dance around their spiritual leader in ecstasy for many days and weeks. Their movements are corresponding to the ones of planets around the sun, symbolising the pattern of cosmic order. Another dance marathon can be seen in the belly dance of Egypt. Belly dances are performed solely by women and men are not permitted to watch. An Essex woman named Eileen Foucher set a belly dance record by dancing for 106 hours from July 30 to August 3, 1984. Another dance form, the twist, became popular after a woman called Ra Denny twisted for 100 hours in New Zealand in 1962.

Dance spectacles

The most advanced level of all dance forms is their being a spectacle. Dance can be a prayer, an entertainment in a wedding party and a national celebration. But it becomes a masterpiece when it's choreographed and staged or filmed. Busby Burkeley (1895-1976) was the choreographer of the most spectacular dance films ever made. He was the trainer of US soldiers for their dance parades during World War II. Military experience helped him create dance numbers with casts of hundreds of people. Often by shooting the dance from a crane, he created spectacular visions. He earned fame by projecting performances on to giant mirrors so that the patterns they created would give them an aura of infinity. His masterpiece was 'Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933). In the film, there is a crane shot of 25 dancers with violins, 24 of them in a circle around the lead player. Together, they appear like a blue flower.