Spontaneous Dancing is Finally Legal in Sweden

Time to take to the streets to sing and dance in celebration of the fact that it's now legal to do so! The Swedish government has finally agreed to abolish the law that required a venue to have a dancing licence in order for it to be legal for people to dance there in public. The days when voguing, daggering, popping and/or locking were illegal in public places are over. The Swedish people are finally free to be a slave to the rhythm. In Sweden, that mostly boils down to wooden clogs tapping to the beat of ABBA, but still. Freedom at last – I'm literally krumping as I'm writing this.

Spontaneous dancing had been outlawed in Sweden since the 1970s, when it became required for bar owners, festival organisers and other people in charge of public places to apply for a dancing permit from the Swedish police. And it's not one of those weird lingering laws that never gets exercised: In 2015, two restaurant owners in Uppsala were fined for to people dancing in their restaurant – because they didn't have a dancing permit. Another case of unlawful dancing took place in the town of Ockelbo last year. A market organiser was taken to court because a tent on his market was playing "dance friendly disco music", according to the Swedish police. Yes, dance friendly disco music. As opposed to dance unfriendly disco music, which had been appropriate to play at markets, had it existed.

The dance permits have been a way for Swedish police to avoid public disorder that can lead to riots. Because – like everybody who hasn't seen Footloose still thinks – dancing in public places was the fire behind all riots and anarchy in human history. Not social injustice, not racism, not corruption – the main reason behind people running amok, looting and shooting has been the jitterbug all this time.

The Swedes will celebrate this day by actually taking to the streets to two-step together to the beat of freedom. Congrats Sweden!

Update: The Swedish police's press department has recently issued a statement that public dance events still are in need of certain permits. "What has happened is that the parliament made an announcement to the government that the dance permit should be removed. The government needs to further investigate the matter before it can become a bill and a decision." So in other words: the Swedish parliament still needs to give their final word on the matter before the law can be revoked. For everyone who want's to arrange dancing events without a permit: don't do it just yet.

Photo by flickr user Vladimir Pustovit