Introduction
Parris Renee Goebel MNZM, also known professionally as Parri$, is a New Zealand choreographer, dancer, singer, director and actress. Her dance crew The Royal Family has won the World Hip Hop Dance Championship three times.
Early life
Goebel is of Samoan, Chinese, and Scottish descent. She was interested in dance from a young age and started hip-hop lessons when she was 10. When she was 15, she started the dance group ReQuest with four female friends. Initially they practiced in Goebel's aunt's garage and later at her father's warehouse. After a year working together, they went to the Monsters of Hip Hop Dance Convention in the United States and Goebel was selected to dance in the finale performance of the convention.
Following the convention, Goebel left Auckland Girls' Grammar School to concentrate on her dancing.
Career
Goebel has worked with artists including Ciara, Little Mix, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Big Bang, 2NE1, CL, iKon, G-Dragon, Taeyang, Black Pink, and Shakira. Her work has included choreographing routines and starring in music videos and movies. One of her notable successes was her work choreographing the music video for Justin Bieber's 2015 song "Sorry", which as of January 2020 is the 8th most viewed video on YouTube with more than 3 billion views. The video later won the "Video of the Year" award at the 2016 American Music Awards. Goebel went on to choreograph and direct all thirteen of Justin Bieber's Purpose: The Movement videos. These videos have totaled over 5.3 billion views combined as of January 2020.
Goebel and her father, who is also her manager, run The Palace Dance Studio in Auckland.
In 2012, Goebel starred on both America's Best Dance Crew and Dancing With the Stars Australia. She then worked on Jennifer Lopez's 2012 world tour and performed with her on the American Idol season 11 finale. Goebel went on to choreograph and take on a role in the American 3D dance film Step Up: All In, released on 8 August 2014.
In 2015, her choreography for DeeWunn's "Mek It Bunx Up" went viral and, as of January 2020, has received over 15 million views on YouTube.
In 2015, Goebel was the leading choreographer for New Zealand's first hip-hop feature film, Born to Dance. Stan Walker, the winner of Australian Idol, 2009, who starred as one of the main actors of the movie, described her as "the best" to work with.
In 2020, Goebel choreographed Jennifer Lopez's Super Bowl halftime show.
Music
On 8 August 2016 Goebel released her first music video to the song "Friday", which was then featured on her EP Vicious. Later in August 2016, she released a music video for "Nasty", which is also featured on the EP.
In December 2016 she eventually released Vicious, which featured artists including Jamaican Dancehall star, DeeWunn.
Style
Goebel is known for her particular style, known as Polyswagg. As she describes it, her style is based on hearing, breathing and living the music, being passionate while dancing and transmitting feelings. She also draws on music inspirations from the DanceHall style. Large amounts of her routines include this element, most notably in the Royal Family's World Hip Hop Dance Championship performances.
Honours and awards
In 2009, Goebel was awarded the Street Dance New Zealand Choreographer of the Year and Dancer of the Year awards. In 2014, she was named Female Choreographer of the Year at the World Of Dance Awards in Los Angeles.
In 2006 she was awarded the Special Recognition Award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifka Awards.
In 2015 she was presented with the Top Variety Artist Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc and the Young Leader category of the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.
In 2016 she won Female Choreographer of the Year and Live Performance of the Year at the World Of Dance Awards. In the same year, the advertisement that she choreographed for New Zealand Post won Worst Ad 2016 in the TVNZ Fair Go Ad Awards
In the 2020 New Year Honours, Goebel was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to dance.
Publication
In March 2018 Goebel published her autobiography Young Queen.
World Hip-Hop Dance Championships
Palace Dance Studios crews and their records in the annual competition.
| Name of Crew | ReQuest | Sorority | Bubblegum | The Royal Family | Misfits | In-Laws | Duchesses | Kings | Royal Family Varsity |
Kingsmen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year founded | 2007 | 2010 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012* | 2012* | 2014 | 2015* | 2016 | 2017 |
| 2009 | Gold | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Gold | Bronze | Finals | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Gold | Gold | Gold | Gold | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | Silver | Gold | Gold | Semi-finals | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013 | — | Bronze | Silver | Gold | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | — | Semi-finals | Bronze | Guest Performance at Nationals | — | — | Silver | — | — | — |
| 2015 | — | Finals (4th Place) | Finals | Silver | — | — | Finals | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | — | Bronze | — | — | — | — | — | Bronze | — |
| 2017 | — | Semi-finals | Finals | — | — | — | — | — | Semi-finals | — |
| 2018 | — | — | Finals (8th Place) | Guest Performance at Nationals | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | — | — | Guest Performance at Regionals | Finals (4th Place) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*Denotes disbanded crews.