Parris Goebel

Parris Renee Goebel is a New Zealand dancer, choreographer, and creative director whose work from South Auckland has reshaped how movement appears in global pop performance. Born in Auckland and raised in Manurewa, Goebel began hip-hop classes at ten and formed the all-female ReQuest crew with four friends at fifteen. That early ensemble became the foundation for The Palace Dance Studio, which she and her family developed in Auckland as a home for multiple crews and age divisions, and eventually for the broader Royal Family organization that built an international profile through Hip Hop International competition and touring.

Goebel's breakthrough in commercial work came while still a teenager, when she choreographed for Jennifer Lopez's *Dance Again* world tour. She went on to work across concert staging, music video, film, fashion, and advertising with artists including Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Jennifer Lopez. In 2015, a pivotal moment came when she choreographed and performed in Justin Bieber's "Sorry," then directed and choreographed the thirteen-video *Purpose: The Movement* project. That series of single-take videos foregrounded the dancers themselves rather than treating movement as background decoration.

From choreography, Goebel expanded into creative direction across large-scale productions. She choreographed Rihanna's Super Bowl LVII halftime show in 2023, directed movement for Vogue World: Paris in 2024, and has collaborated on major performance and video projects with Lady Gaga. Her work combines hip-hop foundations, sharp isolations, grounded weight, abrupt changes of level, expressive characterization, and ensemble formations that make large groups read as unified organisms. New Zealand recognized her impact by appointing her a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2020.