Dance marathons are elements of our history most Americans would like to forget. In their heyday, they were hyped as a way for desperate Depression-era young people to stave off hunger, getting fed regularly while they danced for thousands of hours to entertain the masses.

In fact, the marathons were a kind of blood sport, allowing an audience to watch people wear themselves out, ruin their bodies, even go crazy chasing a little bit of cash — money that they usually didn’t get at the end anyway.