You could probably distinguish the major dance genres by starting with the drums and sound selection - character of the hits, samples v synthesis, does it usually swing, use of vocals, etc
This would get you a very broad starting point for distinguishing say house, from deep house, and techno, dub techno, jungle, d’nb, and further sub genres, but from then on in you have to be subtle and think about tone and feel.
For example - I recently read a comment on a youtube video of a techno set where some clown tried to say that it wasn’t techno because there was snares/claps on the 2’s and 4’s - LMFAO - he said it must be house as techno didnt emphasise the 2’s and 4’s like that and only used snares/claps like ‘stabs’ - I mean ridiculous or what?
That’s why, in the final analysis you gotta just feel for the vibe - it’s supposed to be art right?
Avantronica - there’s a book called The Dance Music Manual by Rick Snoman that you might find useful - it’s not gonna help you with feel but it does break down some of the major genres at a basic technical level.