Countries That Banned Boogying

GERMANY

The state Tanzverbot (dance ban) laws threaten fines of up to $1,500 for venues hosting dance parties during Easter weekend, owing to the solemnity of the Christian observance. A group called the Pirate Party regularly stages dancing demonstrations in protest.

JAPAN

The Japanese government repealed a 1948 law against dancing in public after midnight in June after the public protested the ban. Members of government agreed to modernize the law before the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, when the flood of visitors may seek late-night fun.

BRAZIL

Brazil passed laws in 2000 and 2008 that banned or regulated funk dance parties, especially in favelas, where police said they were disruptive and linked to gang activity. The parties made a comeback in 2009, after Rio de Janeiro outlawed discrimination against the funk movement.

TANZANIA

Authorities began cracking down on the kigodoro dance last year when the exuberant bottom-shaking activity earned infamy on social media. Government officials said the dance–sometimes performed nude–threatens Tanzanian national identity.