Full disclosure: I’m not a dancer nor choreographer, and dance isn’t necessarily what I flock to K-pop for. Because of that, my choices tend to veer toward more iconic routines that are fun to watch rather than technically challenging or impressive formations. I like to believe the two can co-exist, but I do prefer fun choreography over a more “badass” routine. I also prefer big, dynamic performances over smaller, intricate moves.
Honorable Mentions:
EPEX – Youth2Youth
NMIXX – Dash
STAYC – Cheeky Icy Thang
TWS – BFF
TWS – Last Festival
ZEROBASEONE – Feel The Pop
Young Posse – Ate That
10. KISS OF LIFE – STICKY
Sticky finds a spot on this list thanks to its sense of fluidity and contrast from most K-pop choreo. The routine even includes some (very tame) twerking.
9. ILLIT – MAGNETIC
The song itself is quite cute and the choreography reinforces that with fun counting hand movements and a general sense of lightness.
8. BOYNEXTDOOR – EARTH, WIND & FIRE
Such a busy, overstuffed song demands equally chaotic choreography. Earth, Wind & Fire‘s routine lives up to the song’s energy, delivering a freewheeling spirit that’s so fun to watch.
7. LE SSERAFIM – CRAZY
LE SSERAFIM always have tons of personality in their performance and Crazy is certainly a showcase for that. Props for Sakura’s duck walk alone!
6. TWS – IF I’M S, CAN YOU BE MY N?
TWS’s choreography is just so creative and fun to watch. Their team really put everything into the group’s debut year and this follow-up cements their unity with so many cool, intertwining and mirror-image moves.
5. NAYEON – ABCD
I love a big, splashy routine where a bunch of back dancers surround one magnetic star. Nayeon lifts and grooves and fully owns ABCD‘s killer breakdown.
4. TWS – OH MYMY: 7S
I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit repetitive at the top of my list this year because two groups stood way above the pack for me. Oh Mymy: 7s introduced TWS with flair, stuffed with colorful, creative formations. There’s a sense of eye-catching boldness in this choreo.
3. RIIZE – BOOM BOOM BASS
My favorite choreography centers around iconic moves, and Boom Boom Bass‘s chorus is certainly memorable. I love a funk style even at its most basic. Add RIIZE’s incredible talent and inventive routines and you’ve got a total 2024 standout.
2. RIIZE – IMPOSSIBLE
RIIZE are one of K-pop’s most thrilling groups to watch on stage. I’m placing Impossible ever-so-slightly ahead of Boom Boom Bass because I like its boldness in embracing house steps and the undulating finale is a real showpiece. It’s so striking when coupled with the synth line driving the song’s final moments.
1. TWS – PLOT TWIST
This was 2024’s most iconic choreography, and for me it’s not even close. The year was short on memorable point moves, but everyone knows the choreo to Plot Twist‘s hook. Whether you can pull it off or not is another question, but the routine perfectly captures the song’s quirky charm. It’s fun and fresh and almost cartoon-like in its simplicity. But supporting that simplicity is a keen sense of storytelling and a few technically intense breakdowns. In a year where most routines tended to blend into one another, Plot Twist stuck out in a big way.
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
For me, Impossible is at 1st solely cause of Sungchan’s body roll in the last chorus ❤️ (and I’m being half-serious)
Anyways, I also liked the choreos for Magnetic (ILLIT), Supernova (aespa), Choke and Stuck (82Major), Sticky and Igloo (KIOF), Plot Twist and hey! hey! (TWS) and Witch (xikers, istg Slender-Hunter is too good) (too lazy to rank). Maybe there’s more, but that’s all I could remember as of now.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Impossible has been my favorite choreo of the year simply because I love house dance so much, it was the same with SHINee’s View.
Also, to me personally, I felt like everyone and their mother knew Supernova’s dance break move. It might’ve been inside my internet bubble, but it felt truly iconic.
LikeLike
Impossible definitely clears as best choreography for me The song itself is a wonderful send-up of house music, and the choreo seals the deal on all of it.
LikeLike
I love TWS’ choreo, it matches the freshness of their songs and is very distinctive to them. I feel like Jihoon is going to be recognized as one of the top dancers of his generation. My only quibble is that sometimes it feels like they are putting the same amount of energy into their moves regardless of the song, like I felt Last Festival could have used more slower and elongated parts rather than their usual punch.
I really liked Impossible as well (probably more than the song).
For me the top choreo this year has been from &TEAM, especially Koegawari, Yukiakari, and their cover of Kirari by Fujii Kaze. It feels so SVT-esque that at times I’ve wondered if they share the same choreographer.
LikeLike
I love love love TWS’s choreo and though the music alone would have been enough, the choreo is a big part of their appeal to me as well! Their creative team really nailed everything this year, from music to the choreo to the MVs to even the album packaging (love the notebook for Sparkling Blue!).
Ive probably forgotten some but heres some of my favourites from this year:
aespa – Armageddon
BADVILLAIN – Hurricane, Badtitude
Chungha – I’m Ready
Enhypen – Fatal Trouble
Itzy – Untouchable, Imaginary Friend
Le Sserafim – Easy, Crazy
RIIZE – Impossible, Boom Boom Bass
TWS – plot twist, Oh Mymy, BFF, hey hey, SN, Double Take, Last Festival (…so everything)
LikeLike
I’m a sucker for house dance, so Impossible takes the cake for me.
Curious about your thoughts on the Stray Kids solos on their new album though? I thought Lee Know’s was quite good, and the MV (technically) just got released last night too.
LikeLike
I’m not the one who’s supposed to be answering here, but I agree, Youth was the absolute (possibly only) killer of the Hop album. Been listening for a good while now.
LikeLike
Can’t say I have a top 10 but some standouts for me this year:
Chung Ha – I’m Ready: Chung Ha went hard for this one, she has an amazing crew and it’s oh so satisfying to watch them perform together.
NewJeans – How Sweet: This is a great example of the kind of irreverent choreography that NewJeans have become known for; the 2nd chorus especially is perfection.
MEOVV – MEOW: On top of the flawless dance moves this has some of the most inventive formations (and formation changes) I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched their “full cam” dance practice video countless times.
Kep1er – sync-love: Kep1er embracing their sexy side? There is something strangely alluring about this choreography, especially because there all these visually pleasing, perfectly synchronized, symmetrical formations. And then there’s that lil’ twerk at the end as the cherry on top.
aespa – Whiplash: The chorus choreography is super-addictive, especially that neck-grab move? Also that chorus with the Giselle-in-the-middle formation.
LikeLike
I have watched every RIIZE Impossible performances that has popped up on my feed, I love it so much. Others which stood out for me where TWS Plot Twist, Kiof Igloo, Bonedo’s Dangerous, LeSSerafim Smart & Crazy and Somi’s Ice Cream.
LikeLike
Oh, I completely forgot Seventeen”s Maestro and the performance team’s spell as well.
LikeLike
Come on, how are TWS on this list.
LikeLike
The owner of the blog has been kind of biased towards them lately, but hey, it’s a bias list, not some kind of official ranking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh come on, they may not be the best dancers out there, but not that bad that they cannot be on this list.
LikeLike
The bias you are having towards mediocre boy groups is becoming disgusting, i guess this is the last year i put attention to this blog… kpopalypse still the best in the game
LikeLike
LikeLike
Am I late again? I’ve gotten used to it, really. I’m a bit slow
I think that when it comes to liking choreography, Nick and I are a bit different. He seems to like choreographies that are trending and easier to remember. I like choreographies that are harder to perform. Why? Because yes, I like difficulty, even though I am aware that I do not practice it because I am very sedentary
Like Nick, I’m not a dance expert, obviously it all has to do with my taste. So…
10. One Pact – Deserved
It may seem like a bit of a disjointed routine, but the light hand-gliding exercise of Deserved is infectious.
9. RIIZE – Impossible
There was only one way to top off Impossible: a lively, memorable dance routine with even more wit to match.
8. TWS – Last Festival
TWS had a truly remarkable year in terms of musical and dance trends. I remember a lot of things, but none captured me as much as Last Festival, a mix of highly polished moves and the group’s lively stage performance.
7. Fifty Fifty – SOS
Pay attention to SOS’s footwork and handwork, it’s irresistible. Fifty Fifty really complements the cute, everyday girl group vibe of this song, but their choreography here is really appealing. In fact, their choreographed moves are a bit reminiscent of the charm displayed by groups like DIA and Lovelyz, and are average for those groups.
6. Nayeon – ABCD
How do you define a song as a pop diva? Just take a sensual and atmospheric choreography and perform it with joy. Nayeon showed great charisma with ABCD and her dance really warmed up the audience.
5. LUN8 – Whip
In terms of charismatic and resonant choreography, LUN8 is the current standout. Her dance to the Whip is promising and at the same time very exciting, sometimes to the point where you have to throw yourself on the floor dancing.
4. Nomad – Call Me Back
Call Me Back may just be a simple emotional song, but Nomad adds a powerful choreography of interpretation and skill to it.
3. MCND – ADDD
The part of the choreography where they spank the butt looks really fun. What can I say? I love fun dances. In fact, MCND showed a charisma that is unmatched by ADDD.
2. A.C.E – Pinata
Yeah… I liked this crazy and wild dance. The performance moves me in contrast to the music and the visuals of the Wow member are amazing.
1. WHIB – Rush Of Joy
For me, a really interesting dance requires an understanding of the concept to the performance, in K-Pop there are hundreds of great examples of this. The black jacket, the black bow tie, the white dress shirt, everything complements the happy and fast performance of Rush Of Joy well, they are formal and elegant, I like that.
If I discover some other choreography this week that I like maybe I’ll add it, K-Pop is really big for dancing. Many dances to see and be explored
LikeLike