Trailblazers: Parris Goebel

Parris Goebel is a world hip-hop dance champion and world-renowned choreographer.

Parris Goebel Dance choreographer 1991

World hip hop dance champion and world-renowned choreographer

In a short space of time, Parris Goebel has become one of New Zealand's most prolific and sought-after entertainers.

The 26-year-old was born and raised by her mother LeeAnn and father-turned manager Brett Goebel, along with her three siblings in Manurewa, Auckland.

She was interested in dance from a young age, starting hip-hop lessons at just 10. Five years later, she left high school and started the now world-famous ReQuest dance crew.

She went on to chalk up multiple wins at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships, building a name for her crews around the world. But her big break came in 2012 when a performance video to Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind caught the attention of pop superstar Jennifer Lopez, who immediately recruited Goebel to choreograph a version of that dance for her live tour.

Since then, Goebel has worked with the likes of Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Jason Derulo and of course Justin Bieber, for whom she choreographed and directed 13 music videos to accompany his album Purpose.

She masterminded the global sensation that was the video for Bieber's Sorry, which has now clocked up more than 2.9 billion views, and more recently, created the video for Ciara's comeback single Level Up, which has spawned an international viral dance challenge.

Goebel has also been a force to be reckoned with on screen. She choreographed and appeared in US dance flick Step Up: All In, was the principal choreographer in New Zealand's first ever dance movie Born to Dance, and was the subject of a popular Māori Television documentary series about her dancers and studio The Palace.

On top of all her dance credits, Goebel also tried her own hand at music, releasing her debut EP Vicious in August 2016 to positive reviews.

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