Name/Title
Dance Marathons--Walkashow at City Auditorium, Photos (38) and News Clips, 1935Entry/Object ID
AM2020.42.1Description
Dance Marathons--Walkashow at City Auditorium, Photos (38) and News Clips, 1935. Local couple, Doran Herbert, age 21, & Marjorie Knowles took 2nd place in a 'walkathon" style dance marathon at the City Auditorium after "walk-dancing" for eight weeks without stop. The Walkashow started some days before Feb. 4, 1935 and concluded on March 31, 1935. These are Doran's pictures from that event, shared with SJM by his son, Ted A. Herbert. Eight week is the equivalent of being on their feet for more than 1300 hours.
Thousands of people came to watch the show at all hours around the clock. Entertainment was provided and even a wedding between two "dancers' was staged with other contestants as the bridal party. Local businesses provided the formal wear and wedding gifts.
The walkers had to keep moving, with only 15 minutes/hour of rest. Cots were provided and food for these breaks. From time to time the show required the walk-dancers to compete in contests targeted to eliminate some. When one partner dropped out, the other was free to keep "walking" solo or connected with another solo walker of the opposite sex. A nurse was present to check on the health of the participants. First prize after 8 weeks was $500, a good sum in the Depression era.
The local newspaper gave daily updates on the progress of the Walkashow. These updates are included in the Multimedia tab above.
This show in 1935 was near the end of the walkathon craze, Previously in 1928 a dance-athon had been held at the City Auditorium and widely reported in the newspaper. To find copies of these news clips, See the Dance Marathon folder under Photos scanned Dance Marathons\1928,Made/Created
Date made
1935Place
City
St. JosephState/Province
MissouriLexicon
Search Terms
Dance Marathons in St. Joseph, 1928, Dance Martathon in St. Joseph, 1935, Walkashow at City Auditorium, 1935Dimensions
Dimension Notes
Printsize: Digital Images onlyCondition
Overall Condition
Not RatedRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Doran HerbertPerson or Organization
Margaret KnowlesProvenance
Notes
Originals in the possession of his son, Ted A. Herbert.
