Dance Marathons of the 1920s and 1930s (2003)

There are still some kind of dance marathons today but the word 'marathon' is applied differently. I dance tango (not 'the tango' btw.). The kind from the Río de la Plata area (Argentina & Uruguay).

We have 'tango marathons' that usually last a weekend.

The idea is to dance as much as possible with every attendee that has the matching role (leader/follower) during this weekend.

Marathons are strictly role-balanced. I.e. for every follower there is a leader. In tango you change partners every block of 3–4 songs (called 'a tanda'). So with an song lasting between 2.5–3.5mins and an average marathon having 100 attendees there are ample tandas, over a weekend, to dance once with every of the 50 people that match your role (unless you dance both roles, that is).

Meals/nibbles/fruits/water during the dance time are usually included, sometimes even wine, especially in the Mediterranean.

A typical schedule looks like this:

Friday

6pm–8pm dinner

9pm–6am dance

Saturday

10am–12pm breakfast

12pm–6pm dance

6pm–8pm dinner

9pm–6am dance

Sunday

10am–12pm breakfast

12pm–6pm dance

6pm–8pm dinner

9pm–6am after party dance (open for non-attendees. Often local dancers that didn't make it into or couldn't afford the marathon)

Prices usually range between 80–120EUR for the above. Accommodation packages are frequently just double that (e.g. if the event is inside a hotel). With flights a weekend of bliss is commonly less than 400 EUR.

Often there are pre- and after dance events on Thursdays & Mondays for people that come for a long weekend. These don't include food and have to be paid separately (around 10EUR, in average).

One of the cited sources was made into a popular movie in 1969, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"[0], nominated for many awards at the time. I remember watching it when released and being mildly horrified by the way the marathons were operated (assuming it was somewhat historically accurate, which TFA seems to confirm).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065088

edit: fixed URL

The 45 minutes on, 15 minutes off aspect reminded me of the increasingly popular modern "backyard ultra marathon", (run the same 4.1667 mile course every hour until one person is left). Obviously those aren't rigged or exploitative, and winning doesn't get you anything much except bragging rights amongst a particular set of people.

It didn’t mention footwear, but I wonder if the women danced in heels?