# Did the Statues Dance at Statuary Hall January 1, 2015? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735 "2015-01-02T02:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/1 "2015-01-02T02:27:33Z")
My father and I took a trip up the historic east coast of the U.S. in the summer of 1998. And one of the souvenirs I brought back, was a book on famous D.C. ghost stories. Anyways, according to the book, every New Years Eve, the statues in Statuary Hall dance, to celebrate another year of the republic. There purportedly have been witnesses to this event (although one was apparently drunk when he witnessed it). I still have the book, but it obviously would be hard provide a cite from it. So I will just get down to business: _Were there any reports of it happening this year [2015]?_ Personally, I would love to be there just to see and find out. But that would be difficult. Also, I believe in God and being good, but I presently don’t believe in an afterlife. But I still find ghost stories (esp. slightly frightening ones, like the one above) fascinating. What causes them? And why do people still see them? Anyways, any reports this year of this phenomenon? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/2 "2015-01-02T03:12:11Z")
A quick Google news search doesn’t reveal anything, but I’m sure if you plumbed the depths of the stranger parts of the internet you could find something about statues dancing. As for why people believe in ghosts, there’s a lot of theories. [This](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/why-do-people-believe-in-ghosts/379072/) article does a decent job of summing up some of the possibilities (humans tend to look for meaning even when there isn’t any, are particularly good at seeing human faces where no such thing exists). ---
**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/3 "2015-01-02T07:44:50Z")
If they are celebrating another year of the republic, wouldn’t they dance on July 4? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/4 "2015-01-02T07:57:20Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > But I still find ghost stories (esp. slightly frightening ones, like the one above) fascinating. What causes them? And why do people still see them? Why would stories of dancing ghost statues be frightening? Sounds like they are just having a wholesome frolicking good time. Ghosts just wanna have fun too. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/5 "2015-01-02T13:47:08Z")
No reports in the local papers, but if it did happen, it probably wouldn’t be a very good party. Of the 36 statutes left in the hall, there are only two women. What a sausage fest! (Since you got that book, most statutes have been distributed around the Capitol, including to the new visitor center which opened a few years ago.) ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/6 "2015-01-02T13:52:01Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why would stories of dancing ghost statues be frightening? Sounds like they are just having a wholesome frolicking good time. Ghosts just wanna have fun too. I think you meant “ghouls”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/7 "2015-01-02T16:02:55Z")
“…this time I’ll hold the pigeon down, and YOU shit on its head!” ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/8 "2015-01-02T16:33:06Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > No reports in the local papers, but if it did happen, it probably wouldn’t be a very good party. Of the 36 statutes left in the hall, there are only two women. What a sausage fest! The Flight of the Conchords covered that situation (slightly NSFW) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wl_uQOABxg) ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/9 "2015-01-02T16:35:27Z")
I just have no idea who we should call about this. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/10 "2015-01-02T16:47:44Z")
> [@Bert\_Nobbins](#): > > I just have no idea who we should call about this. If only there were a service you could call with trained personnel on call and ready to muster at a moment’s notice and deal with ghosts. Sort of a “Ghostmusters” that you could call. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/11 "2015-01-02T16:53:32Z")
I thought the statues only moved when no one was looking at them. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/12 "2015-01-02T17:14:09Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > I thought the statues only moved when no one was looking at them. That’s the thing. After about 2000 (ramped up after 9/11), the Capitol went through some major renovations. Among security increases were regularly patrolling and stationary members of the Capitol Police. As a result, there is no time when the statues are not under observation by a human or each other. Another ghost story falls in the blink of an eye. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/13 "2015-01-02T17:51:59Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > I thought the statues only moved when no one was looking at them. Don’t blink! Blink and you’re dead! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/14 "2015-01-02T18:18:16Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > My father and I took a trip up the historic east coast of the U.S. in the summer of 1998. And one of the souvenirs I brought back, was a book on famous D.C. ghost stories. The reason they are called ghost _stories_ and not ghost _facts_ is because they are not true. There were, are, and will not be dancing statues at Statuary Hall. Statues don’t dance. The fact that there are no newspaper headlines this morning screaming “OH MY FUCKING GOD! DANCING STATUES!” pretty much confirms this. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-statues-dance-at-statuary-hall-january-1-2015/708735/15 "2015-01-03T01:23:24Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > There were, are, and will not be dancing statues at Statuary Hall. Statues don’t dance. Well that’s mighty puritanical of them.