Dear Coach

I have been taking Salsa lessons and have progressed to a skill level that requires many spins, turns and other complicated step combinations.  I have a problem spinning, especially if I try to do more than one spin.  I experienced the same problem when dancing Swing.  How can I overcome the problem of getting dizzy?

Pat Jenson, Battleground, Wash.

Dear Pat,

Here a few ways to keep from getting dizzy.  These are solutions to the dizzy problems, that have worked for many dancers.

·         Don’t do spins.  (Just kidding…I know that is what makes Salsa and Swing so popular.)

·         The first step you need to take if you get really dizzy is have a doctor check to make sure you do not have an inner ear problem.  If you do not have an inner ear problem go to step number three.

·         When turning or spinning do not look at the floor, because you will lose your balance falling forward.

·         Do not focus on walls, floors or other objects because your eyes effect your equilibrium and everything starts spinning.

·         Ballet dancers use a technique called spotting.  They focus on the same spot every full turn when practicing.

·         Another way dancers control their turns is by turning along side a ballet bar.  You can do the same thing using the side of your kitchen counter or a wall.  You turn with your body down the line, keeping contact with the bar or counter to stabilize and discipline you turn.

·         Begin learning to spin gradually.  Turn only one-eighth of a turn at a time until you complete a full circle.  Then graduate to one-quarter of a turn, one-half, three-quarters…all the way to a full circle. 

·         I developed a method many years ago to help dancers having problems with spins and turns.  The solution was to cover their head with a white sheet of stiff paper bent in a cylinder that rests on their shoulder, so that the only thing seen is the paper and a blue dot on the inside of the cylinder, put at eye level, which is what you focus on as you turn.  They then practice turns and spins focusing on the blue dot that is in the inside of the cylinder.  The object is to teach your eyes and brain not to focus on anything as you turn but rather to leave your eyes in a non-focus or blurred state… like blinders on a horse.  A state of meditation is similar : to look without looking and to see without seeing.  Through practice and discipline you can create this state of mind quickly, which is what dancers do.  This method teaches you to concentrate on the blue dot while you are turning, thus ignoring the spinning room which is, of course, what makes you dizzy.

·         If you are learning to dance in group classes this type of problem is usually not addressed and a private lesson may be helpful, as long as the instructor is experienced enough to address this and other problems faced by student dancers.