Dance Until You Drop In 1923, New York dance instructor Alma Cummings started the craze of marathon dancing by waltzing for 27 hours straight, exhausting six different partners. Within 3 weeks, her record was broken nine times across the U.S. Dance marathons becamea competition in which partners would test their stamina and ability to stay awake while providing entertainment to onlookers. Contests of the 1920s required dancers to be in constant motion, but partners were given 15 minutes each hour to rest, during which nurses rubbed contestants' feet and provided medical attention. Food was provided manytimes daily, and contestants ate, bathed and shaved all while dancing. Some competitions allowed one partner to sleep if supported by the other. After the stock market crashed in October 1929, dance marathons became more popular than ever. Contestants battled for cash prizes, appreciating the provided meals and housing. In 1932, Callum deVillier and Vonnie Kuchinski danced from December until June, with rest time cut from 15 minutes to 3 minutes per hour for the last 2 weeks of the contest. Fighting the need to sleep, the final 52 hours of the marathon were danced nonstop and on June 3, 1933, DeVillier and Kuchinski took home a $1,000 prize.
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