How to Choose a Dance Style Based on Your Goals
How to Choose a Dance Style Based on Your Goals
Ever wanted to join a dance class but felt confused about which style to choose?
With so many options—Bollywood, Commercial, Hip Hop, House, Whacking, Dancehall, and more—it is easy to choose a style simply because it looks impressive when you watch someone else dance.
But watching a style and actually dancing it can feel completely different.
The style you think you will love may not be the one you enjoy most once you try it. And you may discover a style you had never considered before.
So instead of asking, “Which dance style is the best?”, start with a better question:
“What do I want to experience or achieve through dance?”
Choose Your Dance Style Based on Your Goal
Different dance styles can develop different qualities. Knowing what you want from dance can help you decide where to begin.
If Your Goal Is Fitness → Commercial, Bollywood, Hip Hop & Dancehall
If you want dance to become a fun part of your fitness routine, energetic styles can keep you moving while you learn.
Commercial, Bollywood, Hip Hop and Dancehall can involve active choreography, repeated movement and full-body engagement.
They can be a good choice if you want to combine dance with physical activity rather than treating exercise as a separate routine.
Your actual fitness benefits will depend on factors such as class intensity, duration, and consistency, so choose a class that you genuinely enjoy attending.
If Your Goal Is Stage Performance → Commercial, Bollywood, Hip Hop & Whacking
If you want to perform at a college fest, competition, annual function, wedding, or event, you need more than the ability to remember choreography.
Commercial and Bollywood can help you work with choreography, expressions, and performance energy, while Hip Hop can add groove and individuality to your movement.
Whacking can be especially useful for dancers interested in improving their posture, lines, poses, and body control. Its strong arm movements and expressive qualities can make you more aware of how your body looks and moves while performing.
If your goal is stage performance, exploring different styles can help you become a more versatile performer instead of depending on one movement vocabulary.
If Your Goal Is Freestyle → House, Hip Hop & Dancehall
Freestyle is not about remembering the next eight counts.
It is about being able to respond to music and create movement of your own.
House, Hip Hop and Dancehall can give you different foundations for exploring groove, rhythm, footwork and personal movement.
Among these, House can be particularly interesting if you want to develop a more natural relationship with music.
Rather than constantly thinking about whether your movement looks good to someone else, House encourages you to find your own groove and enjoy the music.
You don't always have to dance to impress someone. Sometimes you can simply dance for yourself.
That freedom can become an important part of finding your own freestyle identity.
If Your Goal Is Better Body Control & Posture → Whacking & House
If you want to understand your body better rather than simply learn choreography, certain styles can challenge you in different ways.
Whacking puts strong emphasis on lines, poses, arm pathways, and posture, making it useful for developing visual awareness and control.
House brings attention to footwork, groove, weight changes, and how your body responds to the rhythm.
These experiences can help you become more conscious of your movement instead of only focusing on completing a combination.
If Your Goal Is Self-Expression → House & Whacking
Some people don't want dance to be about competitions or perfect choreography.
They want a way to express themselves.
House can encourage individuality and the freedom to find your own groove. You can enjoy the music, explore your movement, and simply be yourself without constantly worrying about how you look to others.
Whacking brings a different kind of expression through poses, lines, arm movements, and personality.
The important part is finding a style where you feel comfortable exploring rather than constantly trying to copy someone else's movement.
If Your Goal Is Versatility → Explore Multiple Styles
If you want to become a more well-rounded dancer, limiting yourself to one style from the beginning may not be necessary.
Different styles can expose you to different ways of moving:
- Commercial — choreography and performance
- Bollywood — expressions, energy and performance
- Hip Hop — groove, foundations and freestyle
- House — groove, footwork and individuality
- Whacking — posture, lines, poses and body control
- Dancehall — rhythm, groove and movement quality
You don't need to master all of them.
The purpose of exploring is to understand what your body enjoys, what challenges you, and what kind of dancer you want to become.
What If You Don't Know Your Goal Yet?
That's completely fine.
Not everyone starts dance with a specific target.
You might simply think:
“I want to dance, but I don't know which style is for me.”
In that situation, choosing one style immediately may not be the best approach.
Try different styles first.
A style can look amazing when you watch another dancer perform it, but that doesn't guarantee that you will enjoy doing it yourself.
You might watch Whacking and think, “I definitely want to learn this,” and then discover that House feels much more natural when you actually dance it.
Or you might start with Commercial and unexpectedly find yourself enjoying Hip Hop or Dancehall more.
You only really know what you like after you experience it.
How to Choose the Right Dance Class for You
Once you have explored different styles, consider:
What did you enjoy the most?
Which class made you want to keep dancing even after the choreography ended?
What felt natural?
Some styles may feel challenging at first, while others immediately connect with the way you like to move.
What do you want to improve?
Your favourite style and your current training goal don't always have to be the same. You can enjoy one style while using another to develop a particular skill.
What do you want your dance journey to look like?
Performance, freestyle, fitness, self-expression, or simply enjoying movement—your answer can change over time.
There is no requirement to choose just one style forever.
Explore Before You Choose
The easiest way to find your dance style isn't by watching more videos.
It's by trying more styles.
At Dance Mehekma, you can explore different dance styles through classes conducted on alternate days. Instead of deciding immediately which style is right for you, experience different forms of movement first.
Try House.
Try Whacking.
Try Hip Hop.
Try Commercial.
Try Bollywood.
Try Dancehall.
You may walk in thinking one style is your favourite and walk out discovering that another style feels much more like you.
And that's the whole point of exploring.
Ready to Find Your Style?
Don't choose your dance style only by watching someone else dance it.
Come experience it yourself.
Explore different styles at Dance Mehekma on alternate days, discover what feels right for you, and then choose the styles you genuinely enjoy.
Because you won't know what you love until you try it.
DM @dancemehekma to start your journey of exploring different dance styles—and find the ones that feel like you.
Reach
Questions? Book your free trial today!
dancemehekma@gmail.com
+91 9654005905
© 2026. All rights reserved.
Contact