The first thing you need to know when learning to dance like Beyoncé is this: you can’t. Not really. For what a workshop dedicated to her choreography illustrates above all else is that she really is in a league of her own; there’s a reason she’s known as Queen B.

The second thing you need to know is that this doesn’t matter at all. An hour or two giving your all to replicating her moves has to be the most fun workout there is; whether or not your can tilt your buttocks, or jiggle at an impossibly fast pace. The key is to let go, channel your inner diva and enjoy yourself.

That’s exactly what I’m doing, with friends, at a Beyoncé dance workshop at a Frame gym in London. Cassius Powell, our teacher, has clearly spent many an hour analysing Beyoncé’s moves and is just the man to make you connect with your inner Bey: wildly encouraging, while keeping the cringe factor low. The warm-up involves pretending to come on stage to a cheering crowd of thousands, which sounds crazy (there are six of us in the room) but is the perfect start. We strike poses in time to the music before strutting forward and launching into the infamous Crazy In Love twerk, a (fairly) simple routine that combines controlled fierceness with downright sexiness. We are in the Bey zone.

Beyoncé’s Run The World (Girls)

Cassius then leads us through the dance to Run The World (Girls). We only cover the first quarter of the song, but it takes the best part of an hour and leaves us all panting, sweating and wondering how Beyoncé does all this while singing. In heels. Only when trying to break the dances down do you realise just how intricate they are, like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time (but a hell of a lot sexier). As we attempt a complicated body roll, Cassius explains that Beyoncé’s moves are fluid and loose, as opposed to Britney Spears, for example, who is more rigid and uniform. “That explains it,” my friend K says. “I am from the Britney school of dance.” We are so empowered/deluded that when Cassius tells us we’re one of the best groups he’s taught, we choose to believe him, though we know he is lying.

We quite literally get in formation for the final part of the routine, in a V-shape, and at one point, when we finally master the shoulder raises combined with a whip of the head, hands firmly planted on hips, I catch sight of us in the mirror. We look amazing: strong and fierce, an army of badass, sweaty women. This is not just a tough workout; we have found our inner Beyoncés and it feels great. In between gasping for breath, my friend S shouts, “This is better than therapy!” It may be 8pm on a Tuesday, but it’s one of the best nights out we’ve had in a while.

Dance instructors Kevin Keti, Ianthe Mellors and Cassius Powell, above, were photographed by Sophia Evans for the Guardian at Frame gym, Shoreditch

Twerk it: find a local class

Frame gyms in London offer regular dance classes, including music video and cardio dance, as well as workshops on Beyoncé, Rihanna and more moveyourframe.com

Be like Britney, Little Mix or Beyoncé or learn how to dance in heels at Seen On Screen Fitness in Manchester and London (plus online classes) seenonscreenfitness.com

Diva dance classes at City Academy in London include workshops on the Spice Girls, Justin Bieber and Britney Spears city-academy.com

Master music video moves old and new with the MTV dance class at Dance Glasgow danceglasgow.com

Book your own group workshop with the Diva Dance Academy, all over southern England and Wales divadanceacademy.co.uk

Learn the moves

The Crazy In Love booty pop

There are so many amazing moves in this song (marching in red stilettos for one), but the most iconic is the ‘uh oh, uh oh’ booty pop. As Ianthe shows here, it’s more of a twerk than a thrust, and it takes work. Here’s how to do it.