Hip-hop
Groove, rhythm, bounce, and musical choices. The largest style in the DancePlug library and a welcoming place for beginners.
Learn Dance Online
Learning dance online works when you treat it like training, not scrolling. Pick a level, learn in sections, repeat with purpose, and follow a path you can keep up week after week.
What online dance training does well, and what it can't do
DancePlug has been teaching dance online since 2008, long before taking class through a screen was normal. Two dancers, Glyn Gray and Anh Dillon, started it because quality dance education was too often limited by where you lived, what you could afford, or whether a class fit your schedule. That problem hasn't gone away.
Online classes are very good at some things: repetition, access to teachers you'd never meet locally, trying new styles privately, and practicing on your own time. They can't watch you. No video will catch a rolling ankle, a lifted shoulder, or a habit you don't know you have. The dancers who get the most from online training use it alongside live classes, rehearsals, and feedback, as a bridge rather than a replacement.
At a glance
- Founded: 2008, by dancers Glyn Gray and Anh Dillon
- Library: 900+ classes across 10 styles, at 4 levels
- Instructors: 50+ professional teachers
- Practice tools: back and mirror views, speed control, and section loops
The difference between watching and training
Most people who say online dance didn't work for them were watching, not training. They played a video once, followed along at full speed, lost the thread by the second eight-count, and moved on to something new. Training looks different:
- Choose a level honestly. Start a level below where your ego wants to be. Clean foundations transfer; rushed choreography mostly teaches you to fake it.
- Learn in sections. DancePlug classes are split with markers, so you can learn one phrase, loop it, and only move on when it holds.
- Slow it down, then build back up. Lower the playback speed until the counts are clear, then return to full speed in steps. Speed is the last thing you add.
- Switch views. Use the back view to learn direction and pathways, then the mirror view to check yourself against the instructor.
- Repeat the same class. Taking a class a second and third time is where timing, texture, and performance start to show up.
- Track what you've done. Saved, in-progress, and completed classes show whether you're building something or just sampling.
Try the method with Footwork and Chaînés, a basic jazz exercise from Joelle Martinec.
Choosing a style to start with
If you already know what you love, start there. If you're not sure, it helps to know what each style trains:
Many dancers pair one technique-focused style with one groove-based style. The mix makes you more versatile and keeps practice interesting. New to dance altogether? Start with our guide to beginner dance classes online.
Jazz and jazz funk
Technique, turns, clean lines, and performance energy, from classic jazz through commercial styles.
Contemporary and lyrical
Weight, breath, floorwork, and expression, best approached once you have some basic body awareness.
More styles
Theatre dance, house, tap, and Bollywood, for dancers who want range, a specific skill, or something new.
New to dance?
Start with basic and beginner classes and a simple plan for your first month.
Build a simple weekly structure
You don't need hours. Three focused sessions of 30 to 45 minutes a week, one for foundations, one for new choreography, and one for reviewing what you've learned, will do more than one exhausting session. Once that feels steady, add a second style or move one session up a level. Our guide to dance training at home has a sample weekly routine and a session structure you can follow.
Signs you're improving
Progress in dance is easy to miss because the goalposts keep moving. Signs worth watching for:
- You pick up the first eight-counts of a combination faster than you did a month ago.
- You can dance a phrase at full speed without watching the screen the whole time.
- Retaking an older class feels easier, and you notice details you missed the first time.
- Your body warms up sooner and recovers better between sessions.
- You start making choices, like texture, dynamics, or where to breathe, instead of only copying.
Learn from the instructors
Train for range with Alexie Agdeppa
Alexie Agdeppa has worked in the dance industry for more than 30 years and teaches jazz, contemporary, and lyrical on DancePlug. Her advice for dancers who want to grow is simple: don't only take the classes you're already good at.
Take classes you're not the best in, because it'll give you that versatility.
Alexie Agdeppa, in It's Not About Being the Best Technician: Be Your #1 Fan!
Who DancePlug is built for
Beginners use DancePlug to get comfortable before a first studio class. Adults use it to dance on a schedule that fits work and family. Serious students use it to add styles and instructors their local studio doesn't offer. Working dancers use it to stay sharp between jobs and brush up on a style before an audition. Teachers and studio owners use it for warmup ideas, exercises, and combinations when planning class.
Classes are taught by 50+ professional instructors across 10 styles and 4 levels, and are best suited to dancers aged 12 and up. Alongside classes, DancePlug publishes audition listings, interviews, and training articles, because class is only one part of a life in dance.
Frequently asked questions
A few practical answers before you start learning online.
Treat it like training. Choose a level you can do cleanly, learn combinations in sections, slow material down before building speed, retake the same class more than once, and mix technique classes with choreography. Consistency beats volume.
Yes, you can build real skills: rhythm, coordination, vocabulary, choreography pickup, and style. What online classes can't give you is personal correction, so the strongest approach pairs online training with live classes or feedback whenever you can get it.
It depends on your starting point and how often you train. Many dancers notice clearer timing and faster pickup within a few weeks of practicing two or three times a week. Solid technique in any style takes months and years, online or in person.
No. A clear, non-slippery area, comfortable clothes, a device, and an internet connection are enough for most classes, and traveling steps can be adapted to a smaller room. Classes stream online and aren't available for download.
Yes, and many dancers should. Filter by style and level so each style starts at the right place for you, rather than jumping into advanced classes because you're experienced in a different style.
More than 50 professional instructors across hip-hop, jazz, jazz funk, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, theatre dance, house, tap, and Bollywood. You can browse every instructor and filter classes by who teaches them.
Start training
Train, don't just watch
Every subscription starts with a 7-day free trial, so you can try the method with real classes before you decide.
From the DancePlug archive
4 Tips To Help You Pick Up Dance Choreography Faster
Practical ways to learn phrases more quickly, in class or at home.
A Key Element of Dance: 4 Helpful Tips for Honing Musicality
How to hear more in the music and let it shape your movement.
5 Lessons Learned from Training at Home
Honest reflections on what home training teaches dancers.