Kiwi dancer and choreographer to the stars Parris Goebel says now is her chance to shine in Hollywood. Photo / NZ Herald
Kiwi dancer and choreographer to the stars Parris Goebel says now is her chance to shine in Hollywood. Photo / NZ Herald
Kiwi hip hop dancer and choreographer to the stars Parris Goebel has set her sights on Hollywood.
Goebel revealed on Friday night that she had signed with entertainment giants Sony Pictures to direct and choreograph a big screen adaptation of her hit stage show, Murder on the Dance Floor.
The 28-year-old – who was recently made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List – premiered the stage show in 2013, which featured dancers from her The Palace Dance Studio.
Confirmation of her movie deal with Hollywood comes just two weeks before the Super Bowl halftime show by chart-topper Jennifer Lopez which Goebel has choreographed.
"For me I have felt ready to move things on where I feel I can utilise my talent more and challenge myself," Goebel, talking from Miami, told the Herald on Sunday in an exclusive interview.
"Movies allow you to do that.
"It is such a perfect fit for me to create ... and I know I am going to shine and change the game.
"It is really exciting for me. I have been waiting to get this out for a long time. We have been working on this for a year and a half now, keeping it to myself has been really hard."
Sell-out crowds and five-star reviews followed the 2013 season of Murder on the Dance Floor at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau.
Now the movie project is set to have a multi-million budget and will see Goebel work alongside some prominent Hollywood names.
The screenplay is being written by Los Angeles-based Elyse Hollander, while Adam Siegel from Marc Platt Productions will produce the movie. Platt earned Academy Award nominations for Best Picture in 2016 (Bridge of Spies) and 2017 (La La Land).
"It is huge," Goebel said of working with Marc Platt Productions.
"No matter what project I work on you have to challenge what you are doing and [work with people] who will bring out the best. I am not into working with 'yes men' . . . but working with people who can stand up and challenge."
Goebel said as Murder on the Dance Floor was a murder mystery, it would be unlike other dance movies and still fresh for those Kiwis lucky enough to have seen the earlier stage show.
"We have definitely changed a lot of characters since the live show," she said.
"Some of the dance scenes we have kept but some of the characters and storylines are different. And of course in the stage show there was no dialogue.
"It is not a classic love and hip hop story with a dance competition at the end."
Parris Goebel pictured in Santorini in 2017. Suppled photo / Parris Goebel
When asked if the move into Hollywood would be lucrative, she laughed: "I guess so. Directors make a lot more money than choreographers.
"But for me it is never about the money. And if you are good at what you do the money will always come."
Production is expected to begin later this year.
Goebel first made it big internationally after being hired while still a teenager to choreograph and dance for Jennifer Lopez on American Idol in 2012. Members of her World Champion ReQuest hip hop dance crew also appeared on the popular show.
Since then she has worked with artists including Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.
Her previous experience on the big screen includes choreographing and acting in 2015 local production Born To Dance, as well as acting and choreographing 2014 Hollywood hit Step Up: All In; the fifth film in the Step Up series.
Away from Hollywood, Goebel's world-renowned work will soon be unleashed on the audience watching the Super Bowl in Miami.
Parris Goebel pictured with global chart-topper Jennifer Lopez who she says gave her her first big break in 2012. Supplied photo / Parris Goebel
Last year she was hired by Lopez to choreograph her halftime performance during the sporting clash. The TV audience in America alone for last year's Super Bowl was a staggering 98.2 million viewers.
"This is a huge honour for me," Goebel said.
"When Jen asked to come on board it was like a full-circle moment because she gave me my first break. It is an honour and not many people got on to the Super Bowl stage. I feel really blessed."
She recently told the Herald after receiving her Order of Merit: "I totally wasn't expecting it, it was a nice surprise to close out the year."
Goebel has won multiple World Hip Hop dance competition gold medals and is also a past recipient of a Special Recognition Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards.
