Behind the scenes of the TimeOut cover shoot with Parris Goebel, named our entertainer of the year.
Parris Goebel is TimeOut's entertainer of the year. After helping create this week's cover, she sat down to talk 2015 and beyond with Lydia Jenkin.
Producer, director, editor, costume designer, lighting designer, creative director, choreographer, dancer - they're all roles that Parris Goebel takes on across her many different projects.
But perhaps the best word to describe the 24-year-old powerhouse is "artist".
Because though she's become renowned through her work in hip-hop dancing, when you see Parris at work, it becomes immediately obvious that it's the vision thing which has made her successful.
"It was never really my intention to cross over into other roles, I just kind of wanted to be a dancer, but then, my creativity was craving for more.
"I wanted to decide what people were wearing, I wanted to decide the camera angles, the lighting, the timing, the concept, the way it's edited. So I just did it. I taught myself how to do those things, to use editing software, how to mix music.
"I wanted to be able to express exactly what was inside me, because as an artist nothing is more frustrating than not being able to put out what you can see in your head."
She knows that makes her sound like a control freak, but that's just how it is.
"My dad laughs at me a lot because I'll ask someone else to do something, and then I'll just end up taking over" she laughs.
"It's just the kind of person I am. I'm a doer, I want to go and do it."
That was evident even at the photo shoot for our cover this week - Parris had some of her crew come along to help spray paint the wall, and, in the nicest way possible, she was giving instructions and suggestions while she was getting her makeup done, but in the end she was jumping up and spraying the wall herself.
Parris Goebel features on the cover of this week's TimeOut - pick up your copy in today's NZ Herald:
"I was looking at the wall, and I was thinking, 'Oh no, that's not what I was thinking!' she laughs. "So I'll go and pick up the can myself and do it. I've never sprayed with a spraycan in my life before, BUT I was like, I'm gonna do it, because I know what I want."
It seems 2015 has definitely been the year that Parris has started getting what she wants too. Her list of achievements over the last 12 months is impressive.
Among the highlights: she choreographed numbers for Janet Jackson's Unbreakable World Tour, and the Nicki Minaj Pink Print World Tour; she choreographed Kiwi hip-hop movie Born to Dance; she took four crews from The Palace dance studio in Penrose to the World Hip-Hop Dance Championships in San Diego; she was the subject of Maori TV documentary series The Palace; she took her dance crew The Royal Family on a sold-out tour of Europe; she choreographed Jennifer Lopez's American Music Awards medley; and she was awarded the World of Dance International Choreographer for 2014.
And of course, the one that really grabbed the world's attention: she choreographed 13 videos for Justin Bieber, including one for his smash hit Sorry - it's currently had 380 million views.
The brilliantly colourful, kinetic pulsating video which Parris and her all-girl dance crew ReQuest created in three days, is unlike anything you've seen before, filled with bright 90s style and athletic dance moves.
It was meant to be the backdrop for a lyric video, but Bieber and his management liked it so much they made it the official video, and the world has become obsessed.
Success hasn't happened overnight for Parris though.
Raised in Manurewa, she's been dancing full-time since leaving Auckland Girls Grammar in her teens, opening her own studio at 16, and winning World Hip-Hop Dance Championships since she was 17.
She worked on TV shows, video shoots, and films and made her own videos and clips with her crew in her Auckland studio, and posted them to YouTube.
And now she's really put dancing back in the spotlight as a form of entertainment in New Zealand.
It's not about being an additional aspect to someone else's show, it's about being the centre of attention.
The Palace produce impressive annual shows at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau in front of huge audiences, as well as touring the world, and the crews tally up hundreds of thousands of views of their own YouTube clips.
And when Parris is involved in a music video, the dancing will be just as important as the star - as with Sorry. Bieber's not even in the video, it's just Parris and her girls dancing hard.
"It's crazy to me now that I wanted to be a "back-up dancer" growing up. That's such a strange phrase. 'Back-up or background dancer'. Now I would never want my talent or artistry or creativity to be in the background. That's not why I'm here. And that's not about being cocky or vain or conceited, it's about knowing what you have to offer to the world.
"I'm so grateful that Scooter [Braun, Bieber's manager] and Justin gave me this opportunity with the videos, because I think even five years ago this never would've happened - they wouldn't have considered giving a choreographer that much power, opportunity, attention or exposure, and put so much emphasis on dance. "But I can see that times are changing. And it's time, and I'm gonna put my hand up, step forward, and see how far I can take things."
Choreographer Parris Goebel has had an incrediably successful year. Photo / Doug Sherring
Underneath all that ambition however, is clearly a pure love of dancing. Hearing Parris talk about what it's like when she lets loose to some music makes one pretty envious.
"It's such an escape mode for me. It's like everything that's within me, I can let it out. I can be who I want to be. I can let out what I'm feeling and thinking, my crazy desires, personalities.
"It's permission. It's permission, it really is, for me to let it all out and express everything inside, and to expose myself. When I dance, I feel like I'm on fire. I feel like there's a magic synergy, and the world stops and I'm glowing."
And now she's taking her artistry into another exciting medium - making music. With such a fierce independent spirit you can see Parris being just as dominant as Missy Elliott or Nicki Minaj, though her music will no doubt be as singular as everything else she does.
"I've been working on an EP this whole year, on the side, secretly. It's more rap, a little bit of singing, but mostly rap. I've been working with P-Money and some producers in Houston. I'm really passionate about music in general, but it was more curiosity that got me into it. I just thought, 'I wonder if I can make music?' And it goes hand in hand with what I do, so it almost seems like a no-brainer to me. I'm also inspired by musicians a lot. Because they basically create the language to my body, everything they're creating is telling my body what to do. It literally is the voice to my movement."
It might not be the usual way one gets into making music, but Parris has never been one to follow anyone else's path. She's created her own success.
"People ask me how I got to where I am. And the answer is because I work harder than anyone else. I'm always exhausted. This was the most challenging year I've ever had, energy-wise. I said yes to everything, and I gave it my all, because I was at a sort of cross roads, where I could either be comfortable and be good, or I could decide I want to be great, and to work extra hard to break through. I want to sleep for a whole year right now, but it was absolutely worth it, because I'm so proud of what I've done."
Who: Parris Goebel What: The Palace documentary series on Maori TV, screening in March. Also check out:thepalace.co.nz, and parrisgoebel.co.nz for more videos of her work. Born to Dance will (hopefully) be coming to DVD soon.
