I'm getting ready to do a showcase (my first) in April and my teacher asked me what I'd like to dance and what music. I said I think I'd like to do a Viennese Waltz to Show Me The Way by Styx and she loves the idea.

Now, the problem. We just started working on Viennese Waltz last night and it's my first time. Though the steps are a little more complicated than I thought they'd be, I can see that I won't have any problem learning them. My problem is the spinning. We make one trip down the side of the floor and I'm ready to reach out for the wall to steady myself. Elen (my teacher) says, in her Estonian way, "we'll just do a change and spin the other way at the end of the floor."

Yeah right. I don't think it works that way. I'm not a watch that's being wound up and just needs to be unwound. How on God's green earth do I keep from getting dizzy? I'd like to do this dance, but I don't want to fall on my butt about halfway through the song.

Three things:

1) practice it

2) keep the motion as linear as possible, don't think rotation, think changing places with your partner. A travelling dance that happens to rotate, not a rotating dance that travels.

3) Change direction of rotation actually does help, or at least it's customary to think it will. Many who can last a whole song alternating will get dizzy if they go only one way, of course how much is phisiological and how in their heads... well, balance is all in your head anyway

Thata what you pay a teacher for ,to teach? If she can't get you to dance it with her then you might need a new teacher. Why are you doing a show when you can't dance?

Sorry. I just get frustated when I hear of students doing shows. I know how many years it took me to become a competant dancer to dance well in international competition so I don't have any respect for these clubs that rush their students into shows just so they can pull in the big bucks.

I agree with Dave's sentiments.
You asked about getting dizzy with viennese waltz.
There is only one solution, but it will take time. You must get on the dance floor and just keep doing the dance. Your brain will adapt to the spinning and over time, the dizziness will become negligible, Your partner must do the same of course. Keep turning the same way for as long as possible - take a break, then do it again.and again....
When i started viennese i, like everyone, had the dizziness problem, but i ignored it and worked on the dance by just practising the movements - often on my own. I found in time that the dizziness disappeared. I can now dance basically continually (i.e. more than 5 minutes) in the one direction without getting dizzy at all. I'm an old wrinkly and it worked for me, so i'm sure it'll work for you.
One additional hint - try practising the dance to slower-than-normal music-even slow waltz. Here in ireland we have the "irish old time waltz" which is like viennese but to 54 bars per minute. If you can find slow music (there is software to slow down music)try it - you'll find it easier to get used to it.
A few other things - changing the direction of rotation does help. Spotting does help.
I don't agree with an earlier posting suggesting thinking of the dance as a linear one with rotation. Maybe at first, but eventually you must think rotation. Apart from the change steps every 8 bars (you're probably not into that)it's a continuous turning movement - that's the character of the dance.
Good luck with your show, and don't mind the dizziness!

"The dancing with the Stars competitors here, some actually took Sea Sick tablets to combat the dizziness". After the first episode the music was slowed down considerably. I agree with Anonymous who wrote the dance is linear. I try to at one part have my back running parallel with the wall, and then the front running parallel. Keep the head to the left at all times At one stage you be will be looking down the LOD, let the head come around with the body. Understand that the Natural Turn starts facing diagonal,to the centre, ( Lady backing ). The Reverse facing LOD, (the lady backing). When changing from Natural to Reverse or Reverse to Natural these alignaments are a must. My own thoughts on this one is, it should be sent back to whence it came. If you ever make the British at Blackpool you will not have to dance the V. Waltz. It's not part of the program. I hope this helps.

Sea-sick tablets are a good idea - might calm me down!
What a shame VW isn't danced in some comps. What could be more pleasurable than dancing to a well played Strauss Waltz?

I know of three things that help keep from getting dizzy when dancing Viennese Waltz. Two of them are mentioned above.

1) Think linear motion, not rotation.

2) Alternate direction of turn back and forth between natural and reverse.

3) Spotting. Look for certain things such as a window, doorway, or picture on the wall. This kind of spotting is different than the kind done in Latin dances where you keep you head facing in one direction longer than your body. You can't do that here, but you can still look for certain things.

Something more for the V. Waltz Natural Turn. Only one of the partnership swing at a time , not both together. The person going forward is the one that swings, and it is an upward swing as it comes around. The Reverse is being done these days with very little rise and fall and no sway. Don't try to go around a narrow ballroom with a Reverse Turn. If it is tight you will find you are doing almost no step and feet together. Does not look good. The alignments in both the Natural and Reverse are designed so that the couple will not over rotate and start going around like a roundabout. Getting a bit technical now. Find out the footwork for the 5th step of the Natural as a man. It is different and to do with deceleration ( slowing down) before the Change step which should finish facing LOD ready for the Reverse. Anybody interested there is a little bit of free advice by doing a search for Harry Smith -Hampsire, choose the first one. The other articles are worth reading in particular the one on Adudicating.

Besides the good advice from Anonymous and North Star I would also add 'blurring' as another possible option. In Blurring one does not focus on anything. Allow the room to 'blur' and stay 'inside your head'. In a physiological terms one is using one's proprioceptive sense rather than vision to keep balanced.

Rha