The Most Difficult Dance Move, Ranked

Voting rules: Choose the dance move you think is the most difficult!

Updated on May 5, 2024 06:24

Dance enthusiasts often debate the complexity of various dance moves, each with its unique technique and skill requirements. Establishing a ranked list of the most challenging dance moves offers clarity and recognition of these skills. Such rankings assist learners by highlighting where they might need to focus their practice efforts, easing their learning curve. This site allows dance lovers to cast votes on what they believe are the most demanding dance maneuvers, creating a community-driven ranking that reflects the collective opinion of experienced dancers and instructors. By participating, users influence the list, ensuring it remains an accurate representation of the dance community's views on difficulty and technique.

What Is the Most Difficult Dance Move?

1

68
votes
Lambtron · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Grand Pas de Deux in ballet

Marius Petipa

This dance move requires immense strength, precision, and grace, as it involves a series of lifts, turns, and jumps. It is considered one of the most challenging ballet moves.
The Grand Pas de Deux is a dance duet performed in classical ballet. It is often regarded as one of the most difficult dance moves due to its intricate choreography and demanding technical skills.

Difficulty Level: Very challenging

Duration: Approximately 10-15 minutes

Number of Dancers: Two (male and female)

Technique: Requires mastery of ballet techniques such as pointe work, turns, jumps, lifts, and partnering skills

Musicality: Dancers must synchronize their movements with the music
2

52
votes
The Fouetté turns in ballet

This move requires the dancer to turn on one leg while whipping the other leg around in a circular motion. It is notoriously difficult because it requires perfect balance and control.
The Fouetté turns are an advanced and challenging dance move in ballet that requires both strength and precise technique. It is a series of rapid turns on one leg while the working leg (usually the other leg) is whipped around in a circular motion, typically performing a full 360-degree rotation with each turn.

Difficulty level: Advanced

Leg position: Turned out

Arm position: Typically held in a rounded position, such as rounded en haut or rounded in front

Number of turns: Multiple turns, usually performed consecutively

Timing: Performed to quick and lively music
3

8
votes
The Moonwalk in hip hop

Michael Jackson

This iconic move made famous by Michael Jackson requires a combination of sliding and gliding steps. It takes a lot of practice to master the smooth and effortless look.
The Moonwalk is a popular and iconic dance move in hip hop culture. It creates an illusion of the dancer gliding backward while still appearing to move forward. It is known for its smooth and effortless appearance, making it one of the most difficult dance moves to master.

Difficulty Level: High

Execution: Smooth sliding motion

Technique: Requires synchronization of footwork

Footwork: Shifting weight back and forth on the balls of the feet

Upper Body: Maintaining a relaxed posture while gliding
4

12
votes
The Headspin in breakdancing

B-Boy Jimmy Lee

This move involves spinning on one's head while balancing on one's hands. It is considered one of the most difficult and dangerous breakdancing moves.
The Headspin is one of the most difficult and iconic dance moves in breakdancing. It involves spinning and balancing on the top of one's head while using intricate hand movements to maintain stability and control.

Difficulty Level: Very difficult

Balance: Crucial

Upper Body Strength: Important

Head Protection: Recommended

Hand Coordination: Critical
5

18
votes
The Argentine Tango

This dance style is known for its intricate footwork and close embrace. It requires a deep connection between partners and a lot of practice to get the timing and technique right.
The Argentine Tango is a passionate and dramatic dance form that originated in the late 19th century in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Unlike other forms of tango, the Argentine Tango is an improvisational dance that focuses on connection and interpretation of the music.

Difficulty Level: High

Emphasis: Connection and interpretation

Music: Traditional tango music

Tempo: Generally slower than other tango styles

Footwork: Close embrace with small and precise steps
6

4
votes
The Salsa dip

This move involves the male dancer dipping the female dancer backwards while maintaining control and balance. It requires strength, coordination, and trust between partners.
The Salsa dip is a challenging dance move that is commonly performed in salsa dancing. It involves a dramatic and controlled lowering of the partner towards the floor, creating an impressive dipping effect.

Level of Difficulty: High

Execution: Requires precise timing, coordination, and strength

Physicality: Involves leaning back and supporting the partner's weight while maintaining balance

Partner Connection: Requires strong communication and trust between the dancing couple

Timing: Generally performed on specific beats within the music
7

2
votes
The Russian Split in contemporary dance

This move involves splitting one's legs in opposite directions while maintaining balance and control. It requires a lot of flexibility and strength.
The Russian Split in contemporary dance is an extremely challenging dance move that requires a high level of flexibility and strength. It involves splitting the legs sideways while maintaining balance and control. The dancer keeps one leg straight and extended to the side, with the other leg bent and turned out. It requires a great deal of core stability, leg flexibility, hip mobility, and excellent body awareness to execute this move successfully.

Flexibility: Requires exceptional leg and hip flexibility.

Strength: Demands significant core and leg strength.

Balance: Necessitates exceptional balance and control.

Body Awareness: Requires a keen sense of body awareness to maintain correct alignment.

Hip Mobility: Depends on good range of motion in the hips.
8

3
votes
The Pas de Chat in ballet

This move involves jumping off one foot and landing on the other while bringing the other leg up to the knee. It requires a lot of power and precision.
The Pas de Chat is a challenging dance move in ballet that combines leaps and jumping movements. The term 'Pas de Chat' translates to 'step of the cat' in English, and it is called so because the move resembles the light and graceful movements of a cat.

Movement Type: Jumping leap

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Execution: Elevating the body into the air while extending the legs horizontally

Leg Positions: Battement tendu (extended straight leg) and supported leg in various positions (retiré, effacé, etc.)

Arm Positions: Arms in various positions (low fifth, high fifth, rounded, etc.)
9

6
votes
The Double Tour en l'air in ballet

This move involves jumping and spinning in the air twice while keeping the body straight and the legs together. It requires a lot of strength and control.
The Double Tour en l'air is a challenging dance move in ballet where the dancer performs two full turns in the air while executing a jump. It requires exceptional strength, control, and coordination.

Difficulty Level: Very high

Execution: Jumping and spinning with two full mid-air revolutions

Leg Technique: Quick and precise leg movements and positioning

Arm Placement: Graceful arm movements that assist with balance

Core Strength: Strong core muscles to maintain stability during the turns
10

4
votes
The Windmill in breakdancing

Crazy Legs (Richard Colón)

This move involves spinning on one's back while swinging the legs around in a circular motion. It is considered one of the signature moves of breakdancing and requires a lot of strength and control.
The Windmill is a challenging and visually impressive move in breakdancing that involves rotating the body in a circular motion while balancing on one's hands. It is often performed on the floor with the legs elevated and extended, creating the illusion of a spinning windmill. The dancer uses their arms and upper body strength to propel themselves forward and maintain momentum.

Level of Difficulty: Advanced

Physical Demand: High

Upper body strength required: Intense

Flexibility: Crucial

Core stability: Essential

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Discussion

Ranking factors for difficult dance move

Physical strength required

Some dance moves require tremendous strength, particularly in the core, legs, and arms. Assess how much physical strength is needed to execute the move correctly and safely.
Flexibility

Certain dance moves demand exceptional flexibility in various parts of the body, like the legs, back, shoulders, and hips. Evaluate the flexibility requirements and the potential risk of strains and injuries during the execution of the move.
Balance and stability

Many dance moves require good balance and stability, as dancers need to hold their bodies steady while shifting their weight and maintaining specific poses. Assess how difficult it is to maintain stability and balance during the move.
Coordination and timing

Complex dance moves often require precise coordination between multiple body parts, as well as accurate timing to match the rhythm and tempo of the music. Evaluate the level of coordination and timing needed for the move.
Complexity and intricacy

Some dance moves involve numerous steps, poses, or gestures that need to be performed in a specific sequence. Examine the overall complexity of the move and how challenging it is to remember and perform all the elements correctly.
Endurance

Some dance moves are physically demanding and may require significant endurance to perform for an extended period. Consider how tiring the move is and how it impacts the dancer's stamina.
Technique

Proper technique is crucial to execute a dance move safely and effectively. Assess how difficult it is to learn and master the necessary technique, as well as how much previous dance experience or training is needed.
Risk of injury

Certain dance moves carry a higher risk of injury, particularly if executed incorrectly or without proper technique. Evaluate the potential risks associated with the move and whether precautions need to be taken to perform it safely.
Emotional expression and performance quality

Some moves are difficult not just because of their physical demands, but also because of the emotional depth and performance quality required. Consider how challenging it is to convey the desired emotion or create a captivating performance while maintaining the technical aspects of the move.
Partner dependency

For partner dances, consider the level of communication, trust, and coordination required between the partners. Evaluate the difficulty of the move considering the partner dynamics and the need for synchronization.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most difficult dance move. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or step is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

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182 votes
10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each step once every 24 hours. The rank of each step is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

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More information on most difficult dance move

Dancing is an age-old tradition that has evolved over the years. From the waltz to the cha-cha-cha, there are countless dance moves that are both easy and challenging to perform. However, some dance moves require a great deal of skill, precision, and practice to master. These moves are often considered the most difficult to execute, and dancers spend years perfecting them. In this article, we will explore some of the most challenging dance moves and what makes them so difficult to perform. Whether you are a seasoned dancer or just starting, this guide will provide you with valuable insights into the world of dance.