K-Pop Group CORTIS Criticized for 'Lackluster' Dance Performances

“I’m not trying to intentionally criticize CORTIS (코르티스); I’m a fan, and I’m not writing this to bash them. I genuinely became a fan because I loved CORTIS’s dancing. Their choreography was always incredibly good—cool, sharp, and powerful. That’s why I used to rewatch their dance practice videos constantly and even replay their music show stages. However, at their recent concert and Lollapalooza, it felt like they weren’t taking their dancing seriously at all. Honestly, I’ve always believed CORTIS’s popularity stemmed from their hip-hop-infused songs paired with cool and charismatic choreography. I know they aim for an overseas artist style, and I understand that positioning, but they still need to dance, right?”

“Other idols, whether at Lollapalooza or their own concerts, perform their full choreography while singing live. But CORTIS acts more like a rap artist, mostly just nodding, hyping the crowd, interjecting shouts, and swaying casually. To be honest, I can’t even recall a single song from their recent concert where they performed the choreography completely from start to finish. Even if CORTIS wants to pursue a more ‘artist’ route, they should still find a balance. After all, they are fundamentally K-pop idols.”

Below are translated comments from Korean netizens

1. They’ve got “artist disease.” I know they’re handsome and have that Gen Z vibe, but honestly, they’re trying too hard to be cool.
2. They remind me a bit of BIGBANG.
3. It depends on the song. BIGBANG didn’t dance to every song; they improvised more with natural songs. For tracks like “LALALA” and “Lies,” they danced very seriously. But CORTIS’s core is group choreography, so it’s strange if they don’t dance.

4. You can interact while dancing too…ㅋㅋㅋ They really don’t dance at all. To exaggerate, 70% of why fans like them is because of their dancing, plus their unique songs.
5. I think it’s good. They don’t seem like factory-produced idols; they genuinely want to interact with the audience. People who attend the shows probably love it.
6. It’s great to dance when you should and run around during encores. But what’s weird about them is that they run around from the very beginning, and that’s the problem… It doesn’t feel like five people performing as one, but rather each doing their own thing… So afterward, all you remember is them running around… 1 hour and 40 minutes spent sweating in their clothes, that’s probably their spirit, but the performance offers no visual enjoyment ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

7. If they had started as idols who didn’t perform synchronized choreography, their popularity might even be lower than TWS.
8. Since people like them anyway, why bother dancing hard?
9. People always compare them to BIGBANG, but honestly, Choi Seung-hyun (최승현), also known as T.O.P, was uncoordinated, while Kwon Ji-yong (권지용), also known as G-Dragon, Dong Young-bae (동영배), also known as Taeyang, and the criminal member danced very well. The others weren’t good, which is why they abandoned synchronized dancing. But CORTIS isn’t like that; all five members seem to dance well. Please, run around during the encore, but perform the full choreography during the main stage. Many fans became fans because of your dancing, so please, dance properly when you should, and run around at other times.

10. If they’re just going to run around, why bother choreographing and learning dances?
11. When they threw away that cool choreography at the MAMA fashion stage and just ran around, I knew… Please don’t do this ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
12. At the Toronto concert, the big screen didn’t even properly capture the members; I don’t know what they were doing. It was frustrating. A concert isn’t some small-scale hip-hop show in Hongdae with dozens of people; you couldn’t see clearly from the second or third floors.

13. People keep comparing them to BIGBANG, but BIGBANG’s song quality is on a different level. Honestly, CORTIS’s songs can’t compare to BIGBANG’s. Plus, BIGBANG’s stage arrangements are incredibly complete, and their interactions with dancers are captivating. Important choruses by Taeyang and G-Dragon are almost never casually skipped.
14. I would be truly grateful if they performed the full choreography for every song at their concerts. I just love watching them dance.
15. This is why I stopped being a fan. I used to love their choreography that looked unsynchronized but was actually very well-designed and fresh. Now, at concerts, they just run around and hype the atmosphere. Even with backup dancers, they don’t create any new stage designs; they just headbang and walk around. Honestly, their songs aren’t that hard to sing, right? They really can’t be compared to BIGBANG.

16. I really wanted to say this too: they’re not bad dancers; they’re incredibly good. Why, why do they just jump around at concerts? It’s such a waste. I understand running around during encore songs, but why don’t they dance properly during the main stage? Why do they all just dance casually ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
17. They claim to pursue artistry and distinguish themselves from idols, but without an idol fandom, no one would buy their albums ㅋㅋㅋ
18. Because that’s what’s cool.

19. They feel like a cooler, more playful new generation BIGBANG.
20. If they don’t even dance, what’s left? I’m genuinely dumbfounded.
21. It’s better not to compare them to BIGBANG. BIGBANG also danced very seriously during their rookie days.

22. You can interact with fans while dancing too. They genuinely hardly dance at all. To exaggerate, 70% of fans like them because of their dancing, plus their unique song style.
23. For a boy group to be popular, their stage presence and concerts must be strong enough. Just look at second and third-generation representatives like BIGBANG and BTS (방탄소년단).
24. Huh? Comparing them to BIGBANG? On what grounds? Are they intentionally trying to get BIGBANG criticized?

25. Their songs aren’t the type that require strong vocals anyway, so if they don’t even dance, what is there to watch?
26. Is CORTIS the group from that flight delay incident?
27. If a girl group did this today, forums would explode, and they’d be relentlessly criticized. Idols like Karina (카리나) and Jang Won-young (장원영) are constantly accused of lacking sincerity or having “celebrity disease” just for a slight head tilt. But boy groups, who are just starting to gain popularity, are already developing “artist disease.” Once they have more experience, it’s clear it will get even more exaggerated. Many boy groups are really getting too full of themselves now.

28. However, they are incredibly popular among 10 and 20-somethings right now, and much of their promotion builds an image of being “playful, enjoying the stage, and having that MZ generation vibe.”
29. It feels like they’re not dancing to express the song’s atmosphere but just to look cool, doing a few casual moves. It’s really a shame.
30. Let’s not compare them to BIGBANG. While BIGBANG didn’t do synchronized choreography, they still performed full dances where it was meant to be showcased, and they had very strong dance members.

31. It feels like CORTIS is more serious and seems happier when they perform overseas.
32. They’re too deliberately trying to reject the mainstream path. There’s nothing wrong with following trends moderately, right? Every time I think they’re going to do a popular challenge, they suddenly switch to their own style again, which feels a bit too forced.
33. They’ve got artist disease. I know they’re handsome and have that MZ generation vibe, but they really try too hard to be cool.

34. Excuse me, I know what direction CORTIS wants to go, but that positioning is premised on having good songs. Honestly, many of their lyrics don’t have much meaning, and if not for the dancing, they wouldn’t have much distinctiveness. So, constantly comparing them to BIGBANG and BTS is really strange.
35. I actually like it; it has a BTS-plus-BIGBANG feel.
36. I know they want to go for a free style, but they’re still rookies, so casually skipping dances like this is a bit too much.