Essential Points:

• Dancers master spins by using a technique called "spotting," where they focus on a single point during turns, helping stabilize their vision and reduce dizziness.

• Years of training lead dancers' brains to adapt through neuroplasticity, making their vestibular systems less sensitive to spinning and minimizing disorientation.

• Techniques dancers use to control dizziness, like spotting and vestibular training, are being applied in balance therapies for vertigo and could benefit anyone looking to improve stability.

If you’ve ever watched a ballet performance or seen a dancer twirl in a perfectly controlled spin, you might wonder, How on earth do they not get dizzy? For most of us, a few spins leave us dizzy, unable to find our balance as the world keeps seemingly spinning around us. Yet dancers seem to master these spins with incredible poise, remaining centered and in control, balanced at all times. They make it look easy, as if dizziness isn’t even in their vocabulary.

So, what’s their secret? How do dancers keep spinning without losing balance or feeling disoriented? Let’s dive into the fascinating science behind their ability to conquer dizziness and explore the techniques and brain adaptations that give them this remarkable control.

The Physics of Spinning: What Happens to Most People?

Before we get into what sets dancers apart, let’s first look at what spinning does to most of us. The sensation of dizziness isn’t just an accidental reaction, it’s actually your body’s way of processing motion and maintaining balance. To understand how, we need to take a look inside the inner ear, where a small but powerful system known as the vestibular system is responsible for your sense of balance.

Understanding Dizziness and the Vestibular System

The vestibular system, located in your inner ear, is a set of fluid-filled canals that track your head’s movements. (1) When you move your head, fluid shifts within these canals, activating tiny hair cells that send signals to your brain. Think of it as a built-in motion detector, constantly communicating with your brain to keep you upright and balanced. But when you spin quickly, the vestibular system faces a bit of a challenge.

• The problem with spinning: When you’re spinning, the fluid in your inner ear canals keeps moving even after you’ve stopped. (2) Kind of like liquid in a cup that continues to move after you have swirled it. This prolonged fluid movement confuses the brain, making it feel as though you’re still spinning after you’ve stopped. This is what can create dizzying sensations such as vertigo, the feeling that you’re still spinning even when you’re stationary.

• Conflicting signals: Normally, your brain relies on three main sources of information to maintain balance: the vestibular system, visual system, and somatosensory system. I call these the three bodily balance systems, and they work with each other through a process known as sensory reweighting. In this process, the brain decides how much input to accept from each system to help maintain balance in everyday situations. When you spin, these three informational inputs can clash and the brain can get confused. The inner ear says you’re still moving, but your eyes and body disagree, leading to a momentary disorientation and that feeling of dizziness.

So, while dizziness may seem inconvenient, it’s actually a result of your body’s complex balance system doing its best to make sense of confusing information. But dancers have found a way to bypass this process and stay balanced, even in the middle of intense spins. Their trick? A technique called spotting.

Spotting: The Dancer’s Secret Weapon

One of the key techniques dancers use to combat dizziness is spotting. (3) You’ve probably seen it in action, even if you didn’t realize it. When a dancer spins, they keep their eyes fixed on a specific point as long as possible, snapping their head around at the last moment to refocus on the same spot. This seemingly simple technique is actually a powerful tool for controlling dizziness and maintaining balance.

What is Spotting?

Spotting is in part about maintaining visual stability during a spin. (3, 4) By focusing on a single spot, dancers create an anchor point that helps their brain register a stable visual reference. When they finally whip their head around to face forward again, they quickly realign with that same point, giving their brain a reassuring visual cue that helps counteract the disorientation caused by spinning and the potentially false information coming from the vestibular system.

• Breaking down the spin: Rather than letting their head turn in sync with their body, dancers deliberately hold off turning their head until the last second. (5) This delay reduces the time their eyes spend in motion, tricking their brain into thinking they’re moving less than they actually are.

• Why it works: This technique helps lessen the “confusion” between the vestibular system and visual signals, giving dancers greater control over their orientation in space. (4)

The Role of Spotting in Dizziness Reduction

The science behind spotting has intrigued researchers, leading to studies on its effects on the brain and body. For example, research from the University of Bern has shown that spotting can significantly reduce the sensation of dizziness by providing stable visual feedback during movement. (3) Dancers who practice spotting regularly are better able to maintain their orientation and balance, especially during complex sequences of spins during performances.

By focusing on a fixed visual point, dancers essentially trick their brains into perceiving stability, making spotting a highly effective tool for reducing dizziness. But there’s more to it than just technique and high levels of practice. Over time, dancers also develop unique neurological adaptations that help them cope with the effects of spinning.

Neurological Adaptation and How Dancers Train Their Brains

Years of intense training in techniques like spotting don’t just shape a dancer’s body, but they also change how their brain responds to spinning. One of the most remarkable findings from research on dancers is how their brains adapt to constant spinning, essentially rewiring themselves to reduce the sensation of dizziness in a process known as neuroplasticity.

Vestibular System Adaptation in Dancers

Through continuous practice, dancers train their vestibular systems to become less sensitive to the disruptive effects of spinning. (6, 7) Studies have shown that dancers experience a reduced vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR), a reflex that normally triggers eye movements in response to head motion to keep vision stable. In non-dancers, this reflex is strong and often leads to dizziness after spinning, as the brain struggles to reconcile ongoing inner-ear signals with a stable visual environment. However, dancers seem to override this reflex to a certain extent, minimizing their body’s reaction to the inner ear’s signals.

• Reduced VOR response: Dancers show significantly less eye movement during spins, which in turn reduces their sensation of dizziness.

• Brain plasticity: Research suggests that the brain’s ability to adapt, known as neuroplasticity, plays a major role here. Dancers’ brains adapt over time to filter out unnecessary signals from the vestibular system, reshaping certain areas related to balance and orientation. Dive deeper on the anatomy of the brain in relation to balance here.

The Brain’s Adaptation to Reduce Dizziness

So, do dancers naturally have better vestibular systems, or do they develop these adaptations through years of practice? Well, at this time, all research points to the latter. Dancers spend years of their lives training and adapting their brains to the intensity of spinning. Although it is always possible that research has not yet fully captured the complexity of a young dancer’s brain, it’s clear that training plays a huge role in shaping how dancers’ bodies and brains respond to movement. (4, 6, 7)

For example, dancers can experience changes in their brain structure. (6, 8, 9) MRI scans have shown that certain brain regions, particularly those involved in balance and spatial orientation, exhibit structural differences in dancers compared to non-dancers. While some studies have found decreased grey matter volume in specific areas like the premotor cortex and putamen, other research has reported increased cortical thickness in regions such as the superior temporal gyrus. This physical adaptation likely contributes to their ability to spin with minimal dizziness, as their brains essentially “retrain” themselves to ignore the signals that would typically cause vertigo like-symptoms.

Again, while it’s possible that professional dancers might be predisposed to respond to spin training more readily, research hasn’t shown this to be the case so far. Instead, the mastery of spinning comes from countless hours of dedicated practice, much like any other hard-won skill. The brain’s remarkable flexibility allows it to adapt to almost any kind of stimulus. For dancers, this means reshaping and rewiring itself to meet the demands of high-speed spinning.

Beyond Dancing: Practical Applications of Vestibular Desensitization

The science of dizziness and vestibular desensitization isn’t just useful for dancers. In fact, understanding how dancers train their bodies to cope with spinning has sparked interest in various other fields where balance and orientation are crucial. From medical applications to other professions that require exceptional balance, the benefits of vestibular desensitization extend far beyond the dance floor.

Medical Implications: Balance and Vertigo Treatments

Researchers studying dancers’ adaptations have started exploring how these insights can benefit people with balance disorders such as vertigo, brain derived movement disorders such as ataxia, and even everyday static balance. (10, 11, 12, 13) By training patients in techniques that help manage vestibular sensations, similar to how dancers train their bodies to resist dizziness, health professionals hope to create therapeutic programs that improve quality of life for those struggling with dizziness.

• Balance therapy: Techniques inspired by dancers’ training are used in physical therapy to help patients reduce vertigo symptoms by strengthening their vestibular system.

• Desensitization exercises: Simple head and eye movement exercises that mimic spotting techniques can help people with chronic dizziness or balance issues manage their symptoms more effectively.

Other Professions with High Vestibular Demands

Dancers aren’t the only ones who benefit from a finely tuned vestibular system. Professionals in fields like figure skating, gymnastics, and aviation also undergo specific training to cope with intense motion and potential disorientation.

• Figure skaters and gymnasts: Just like dancers, figure skaters and gymnasts perform dizzying spins and flips, and they train similarly to control their orientation and minimize dizziness. (14, 15)

• Pilots and astronauts: In aviation and space, where extreme motion is common, professionals practice exercises that strengthen the vestibular system, allowing them to perform complex maneuvers without losing spatial awareness. Read more about how pilots have to overcome spatial awareness difficulties here, and how astronauts deal with space motion sickness here.

The potential applications for vestibular desensitization are vast, and as research progresses, we may find even more uses in areas like virtual reality gaming or any field where spatial orientation plays a critical role.

Can Non-Dancers Train Like Dancers?

Can you train like a dancer and improve your vestibular system? The answer is yes! Research indicates that dancers have enhanced vestibular system function compared to non-dancers due to their rigorous training as we have discussed in this article. Consequently, incorporating exercise programs that involve dancing, spins, flips, or other vestibular-oriented challenges should help improve your vestibular system as well, just but maybe not to the levels of elite dancers.

If you want to start with a few basic exercises, try out these ones to challenge your vestibular system:

• Attempt spotting on your own. Spin 180 degree around and spot a target, but use the technique as instructed in this fantastic spotting how-to video by Runqiao Du Ballet Coaching

• Want something a bit simpler, or have active vestibular issues? Try out VOR x1 as seen in this video with Dr. Jeff Walters, or VOR x2 if you want something a little bit harder.

Final Thoughts: What You Can Learn From Dancers

The way dancers master dizziness offers a fascinating glimpse into the power of training and adaptability. Through a combination of techniques like spotting and neurological adaptations honed over years of practice, dancers are able to spin with extraordinary control, resisting the typical feeling of dizziness you and I would feel.

By understanding the science behind how dancers achieve such balance and control, you not only begin to appreciate their skill, but also uncover insights that could benefit anyone struggling with dizziness or balance issues. And while most of us may never be able to pirouette like a professional, adopting similar strategies to dancers can help your balance. Focusing on stable points, practicing balance exercises, and even training the vestibular system, can improve your balance in everyday life.

If you’re inspired by the way dancers defy dizziness, why not apply some of their techniques to your own life? Practicing balance exercises, strengthening your body, and even trying spotting techniques can improve your stability and spatial awareness. If you’re new to the world of balance, and feel like you would like to have the type of balance that will keep you going for years, check out my Beginner to Intermediate Balance Program.

References

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