Roaring 20's also called the time of dancing and unrestrained fun. It was then that a phenomenon such as dance marathons appeared. At first they represented innocent entertainment as usual competitions at fairs, but then marathons covered the whole country, turning into the ruthless business for the next 10 years.
The stock market crash of 1929, which caused the Great Depression, became the very area of the economic catastrophe of the industrial world. The United States was among the countries most affected by this crisis. By 1931, stocks were worth only 20% of the nominal value of 1929, industrial production fell by half, one in four was unemployed. By 1935, half of American banks and companies were ruined. Even Ford Motor Company, the largest employer in the country, closed its branches. Millions wandered around the country in search of at least some work, typed and stealing. In this era of shattered hopes and empty pockets, one of the most hideous forms of the entertainment industry flourished - dance marathons that, for some ways, diverted themselves from their suffering, watching strangers, and for others -
Dance marathons, or "poor nightclubs", as they were called, arose in the early 1920s as an innocent hobby, with contests for the largest number of pies eaten.
The first known marathon in the US was held in December 1909 in Butte, Montana. It was attended by more than 170 couples. The dance was stopped by the local sheriff after 15 hours of the marathon, at that moment three pairs continued to dance. He claims that such a dance is dangerous for their health.
Mass craze began in 1923, when the first official dance marathon "Audubon Ballroom Marathon", which began on March 30, 1923 in New York. There was also set the first record - Alma Cummings danced 27 hours, without interruption, this time was replaced by six partners and beat the previous British record.
Her achievement attracted her attention and inspired others, especially women, in the same way to get her 15 minutes of fame. And then in America after this, such competitions began to be widely held. People could come in pairs or singly and find a partner right at the marathon.
By the beginning of the 1930s, dance marathons had turned into a very profitable business. There is something strangely fascinating and attractive in watching people who are on the verge - this is what the organizers played. Around the marathons, a lot of people were feeding - doctors, nurses, waiters, musicians, bouncers.
For many participants, the victory in the marathon meant the fulfillment of a dream - prizes of the elected from 1 to 5 thousand dollars, which was a small state (the average salary in the country was 1368 dollars a year). But most of them can get medical care, which they could not afford. Many cruised across the country from one marathon to another, the proportion is thus their existence. Some of them participated in marathons in the hope that "talent hunters" would notice them and offer a contract. But so lucky units - for example, Jun Hawk, attracted the attention of Hollywood agents on the "West Palm Beach Marathon" in 1934, where she danced 3600 hours almost without stopping.
A special role in dance marathons dominated the manager (Master of Ceremony, MC). His main job was to entertain the audience, coming up with new assignments for the contestants. The most typical variant was the so-called "derby", when after several hundred hours of dancing, the participants, already on the verge of physical and emotional exhaustion, had to run along the tracks painted on the floor. A variant was also distributed, in which once every two hours a certain melody was included, and everyone should have danced in this style - otherwise they were weeded out.
Roaring 20's also called the time of dancing and unrestrained fun. It was then that a phenomenon such as dance marathons appeared. At first they represented innocent entertainment as usual competitions at fairs, but then marathons covered the whole country, turning into the ruthless business for the next 10 years.
The stock market crash of 1929, which caused the Great Depression, became the very area of the economic catastrophe of the industrial world. The United States was among the countries most affected by this crisis. By 1931, stocks were worth only 20% of the nominal value of 1929, industrial production fell by half, one in four was unemployed. By 1935, half of American banks and companies were ruined. Even Ford Motor Company, the largest employer in the country, closed its branches. Millions wandered around the country in search of at least some work, typed and stealing. In this era of shattered hopes and empty pockets, one of the most hideous forms of the entertainment industry flourished - dance marathons that, for some ways, diverted themselves from their suffering, watching strangers, and for others -
Dance marathons, or "poor nightclubs", as they were called, arose in the early 1920s as an innocent hobby, with contests for the largest number of pies eaten.
The first known marathon in the US was held in December 1909 in Butte, Montana. It was attended by more than 170 couples. The dance was stopped by the local sheriff after 15 hours of the marathon, at that moment three pairs continued to dance. He claims that such a dance is dangerous for their health.
Mass craze began in 1923, when the first official dance marathon "Audubon Ballroom Marathon", which began on March 30, 1923 in New York. There was also set the first record - Alma Cummings danced 27 hours, without interruption, this time was replaced by six partners and beat the previous British record.
Her achievement attracted her attention and inspired others, especially women, in the same way to get her 15 minutes of fame. And then in America after this, such competitions began to be widely held. People could come in pairs or singly and find a partner right at the marathon.
By the beginning of the 1930s, dance marathons had turned into a very profitable business. There is something strangely fascinating and attractive in watching people who are on the verge - this is what the organizers played. Around the marathons, a lot of people were feeding - doctors, nurses, waiters, musicians, bouncers.
For many participants, the victory in the marathon meant the fulfillment of a dream - prizes of the elected from 1 to 5 thousand dollars, which was a small state (the average salary in the country was 1368 dollars a year). But most of them can get medical care, which they could not afford. Many cruised across the country from one marathon to another, the proportion is thus their existence. Some of them participated in marathons in the hope that "talent hunters" would notice them and offer a contract. But so lucky units - for example, Jun Hawk, attracted the attention of Hollywood agents on the "West Palm Beach Marathon" in 1934, where she danced 3600 hours almost without stopping.
A special role in dance marathons dominated the manager (Master of Ceremony, MC). His main job was to entertain the audience, coming up with new assignments for the contestants. The most typical variant was the so-called "derby", when after several hundred hours of dancing, the participants, already on the verge of physical and emotional exhaustion, had to run along the tracks painted on the floor. A variant was also distributed, in which once every two hours a certain melody was included, and everyone should have danced in this style - otherwise they were weeded out.
1. I asked him if he was waiting for me
2. Bob said that he had been there for a month but he hadn't seen all the places he wanted to.
3. He asked Nine why she was making the coffee so weak.
4. She told Peter that she had to go home very quickly.
5. The doctor said to eat more fruit and vegetables.
6. He asked me if I could speak more slowly.
7. Ann asked me not to tell anyone what had happened.
8. Mike asked his little sister to give him his book back.
9. Girl asked her friend if he would help her with that exercise.
10. Jane said that she didn't remember his address.
11. Alice asked her brother if he had had his your breakfast.
12. Robert asks his friend if the wind is strong.
13. The teacher asked her class who had a penfriend.
14. Robert asked his friend what interested him most of all.
15.Pete asked his friend who had won the game.