Top 10 Hardest Dance Styles to Learn

Swing dance is actually an umbrella term for a group of social dances, each with its own steps, speed, rhythms, and stamina. However, the one thing they all have in common is just how much you need to think about when the music strikes. Dating back to the U.S.’s jazz age, this dance demands athleticism and rapid movements and can involve lifts, flips, and other aerial activities. Still not feeling challenged? What if we told you that it’s a primarily improvised dance? You must be in tune with your partner and follow their subtle cues. Not only is it physically demanding, but it’s also mentally stimulating. Just talking about it leaves us out of breath!

If you're like us, you can't help but kick as high as possible when you hear. However, high kicks are just the beginning for the can-can. Developed in the early 19th century, the dance marked a pivotal shift in society. Its dancers need to be agile and flexible because there’s plenty of kicking, cartwheeling, jump splits, and other strenuous moves, with barely a moment to breathe between them. Additionally, you have to keep smiling and exude sexiness and confidence no matter how exhausted you might be. The dance has been immortalized across popular culture and attracts roughly 600,000 spectators at its most famous home. So we think we can-can leave this one to the professionals.

Okay, just try this for us: Stand poker straight, pin your arms to your side, and kick your legs about without moving your upper body. Not as easy as it looks, is it? To master this style, a dancer must keep their upper half practically motionless. At the same time, their legs tackle intricate footwork beneath the water line. It can be performed solo or in even-numbered groups. It has evolved into multiple forms— including the Irish Step Dance, made famous by shows like “Riverdance.” Also, watching an ensemble of dancers create impressive shapes and patterns in perfect synchronization is incredibly satisfying. It requires a lot of discipline and concentration, but the results are hypnotic.

Fans of televised dance contests will be familiar with Ballroom Tango, which allows its dancers to break hold. However, we’re talking about its ancestor, the Argentine Tango, a social dance from South America that was often performed by men. The style incorporates African influences and has a strict rhythm and some core dance steps, but it mainly relies on improvisation. At its heart, it’s about being intuitive to your partner’s movements, and its staccato steps require a lot of concentration. After all, you don’t want to step on any toes or kick any shins. The Argentine Tango will leave you breathless, not just because it’s so intense and sensual. It demands precision, force, and a whole lot of passion.

This spectacularly challenging dance hails from the Philippines and translates as "Dance on a Bench." Indeed, it involves performers navigating their moves along a narrow benchtop. The dancers are expected to perform exciting routines while sharing their limited platform with partners. The choreography also entails jumping on and off the bench in time to the music; plus, you don't want to leave your partner hanging. As the dance progresses, benches are added, making the stage taller but no wider, as if it wasn’t already complicated enough!. You need terrific spatial awareness, outstanding balance, and a strong core. This isn't a dance for the faint-hearted or weak-willed.

This innovative street dance has been breaking ground since at least the 1970s and was developed by African American and Puerto Rican communities in New York. Breaking takes inspiration from a wide spectrum of sources and requires high athleticism, energy, and artistry. There's an endless amount of moves, but they tend to fall into four categories: "Top Rock," "Downrock," "Power Moves," and "Freezes." These require an insane amount of agility, velocity, strength, and stamina. Is it any wonder it's recognized as an Olympic event? Think that's cool? Check out Animation Dance! This hip-hop style gives the illusion of moving under strobe lights. It's mesmerizing when done correctly, but it's not as easy as it looks.

Of all the types of salsa out there, nothing’s quite as spicy as the “caleña salsa.” Hailing from Cali, Colombia, the salsa capital of the world, this version stands out for its rapid footwork, fast-moving hips, and even merging some acrobatic moves. Combining Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, and Puerto Rican rhythms, this dance focuses less on traditional cross-body leads and more on quick and fluid movements from the hips down. It’s the sheer speed that makes this dance so tricky to master. Indeed, some prefer to dance alone as a partner would only slow them down. So if you’re still grappling with the basic salsa steps, this dance might just be a little too caliente to handle right now.

A folk dance belonging to the Guro community in the Ivory Coast, Zaouli is considered one of the world’s most impossible dances. And for good reason, just look at those feet go! Dating back to the 1950s (and possibly earlier), this dance is often performed during celebrations where each performer showcases their talent, typically wearing a mask that symbolizes their history. You have to be quick, you have to be creative, and to make matters even harder, you’re not allowed to repeat steps. Yep, you have to move and think at the speed of light to ensure your dance is entirely original. It’s a physically and mentally demanding dance, so we’ll just keep watching from the sidelines.

This Brazilian art form has a fascinating yet dark history. It reportedly started in the 16th century by enslaved people primarily from West Africa, who were forbidden from practicing their culture. So they invented this dance and disguised it as combat techniques. Indeed, it has also been used as self-defense, but ultimately this is where sport and artistry combine. It's a majestic and powerful dance that demands intense training and dedication. Participants gather in a circle while those in the center execute kicks, flips, gymnastics, acrobatics, and other demanding choreography. In 2014, UNESCO officially recognized it as an "intangible cultural heritage." When done right, the Capoeira has the ability to render its audience speechless with amazement.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Aerial Dance
You Need a Core of Steel to Pull This Off

Belly Dance
Those Isolations Are Deceptively Hard

Dance of the Cossacks
The Balance, Strength, & Power Needed to Get This Right Is Insane

Flamenco
This Artfully Challenging Dance Requires a Lot More than Well-Time Clapping & Stomps

Tap Dance
There’s Nowhere to Hide if You Put a Foot Out of Line

While many of us nailed the five basic positions as children, mastering this art form professionally is a much harder endeavor. A study from 1975 placed ballet as “the number one most physically and mentally demanding activity.” Dancers must have maximum control over their bodies, and each step follows a rigorous set of rules. Behind every elegant, graceful, and striking movement, there’s an intense level of flexibility, strength, and endurance — and that’s before we even consider pointe! It takes years of practice to translate that strength and stamina into something so beautiful and delicate. You need to be an athlete and an artist. Is it any wonder ballet dancers train from such a young age?