Quote Originally Posted by Veil View Post
2. I'm 5'11" without shoes and I'm "voluptuous", so being asked to freestyle by someone who isn't my boyfriend seems unlikely - cue heinous embarrassment
As you have already discovered - there is a fair bit of spinning involved in dancing (not just in modern jive). As other people have said - the dizzyness will pass.

Since you will be doing a fair bit or spinning under your own arm you may feel that your height will be an obstacle to your partner being able to reach over the top of you. You may try to compensate for this by bending your body or ducking your head as you spin. Unfortunately you will feel very dizzy if you do this and it will make it virtually impossible for you to spin.

Worry not. A solution exists. Both of my partners daughters are around 5'11-6'0" without shoes. The secret is to not be too far away from your partner when you spin.

If you stand about 4 inches away from your partner and hold his hand above your head you will both find that you can shuffle around in a circle without you having to duck.

If you now try doing the same thing when you are 3 feet away from each other you will find it impossible to do without you having to duck.

So how do you learn to spin so you don't wobble into your partner? Ask your teacher to show you how. They won't mind because an interested student is a joy to teach. Be patient - no one ever gets it first time.

How do you avoid being too far from your partner? Take smaller steps. This helps out in so many ways. Once you are dancing close enough to you partner you don't need to make your steps any smaller. Again your teacher will be only too glad to help you.

Remember - from the teacher to taxi dancers to the other dancers in your venue. They all want to help you dancing and enjoying yourself.