Hugo Cortey was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, where his formal ballet training began at the Cie du Jeune Ballet Corse, studying under dance teachers such as Patricia Portal Gozzi, Félix Malinowski, Lola Keraly, Stéphanie Durelli and Peter Goss, among others.
During the 2003-04 season he went on tour, performing a neoclassical production by Stephanie Durelli and a contemporary piece by Salem Hammadi.
In 2004 he moved to Lausanne and joined the École Atelier Rudra Béjart, where he was taught by Azari Plissetski, Michel Gascard, Sylvianne Bayard, Víctor Ullate y Tancredo Tavares, among others. During that season and the next he alternated his work on tour with performances for the Béjart Ballet Lausanne.
In September 2006 he joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza 2.