The paper at hand pilots a methodology for qualitative and quantitative research on perceived difficulty of learning dance style moves, on the empirical example of hip-hop. In addition, it studies the impact of different parameters such as complexity and physical demand on the overall difficulty assessment. This study is based on a behavioral motion capture experiment, including modified NASA Task Load Index questionnaires and semi-structured qualitative interviews focused on the sources of difficulty for the participants. The participants, professional ballet dancers and nondancers, were instructed to copy short hip-hop videos. The quantitative results indicate high correlations between overall difficulty, physical demand, complexity, speed of display and awkwardness. Expertise was observed to increase performance grades and diminish perceived difficulty grades. The quantitative questionnaires data did not provide clear evidence for negative knowledge transfer between ballet training and hip-hop. However, the qualitative data indicated its influence on perception of difficulty. The interview results provided the basis for building categorization of sources of perceived difficulty (and their onset) and strategies for difficulty assessment.