Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ music video now has over 160 million views, so it’s clearly not just me who is completely obsessed with the song or its accompanying choreography. I will admit to playing the song and video a million times over and embarrassingly trying to emulate the moves on Institute Nightclub’s dancefloor… However, despite the epic success of ‘Sorry’, there is a conspicuous absence of a certain J Biebs in the video. Instead, we’re treated to the delights of Parris Goebel and the ‘Ladies of ReQuest’ dance crew. After recognising the dancers in the video from a few videos going viral across my Facebook newsfeed (you’ll remember their take on Beyonce’s ‘7/11’), I went on a hunt to find out more about this Parris Goebel and what she’s really about.
Parris may not have been on your radar before ‘Sorry’, but this New Zealand lady has been making waves in the hip hop and dance industry for a number of years. She is the choreographer behind world renowned dance teams ‘Ladies of ReQuest’ and ‘Royal Family’, whom she has led to domination as the best adult dance crews in the world. Her crew was also the first outside North America to make it on MTV’s ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’, and Parris also choreographed and acted in ‘Step Up 5’. She has many accolades to her name, winning Female Choreographer of the Year in 2014 as well as doing her country proud as Young New Zealander of the Year. It’s also not just performing and choreographing that Parris turns her hand to; she’s taught all over the world too. Not bad for a 24 year old huh?
Parris has also been headhunted to work on videos and tours with none other than Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez to name a few. But, it’s not this lady’s famous friends who account for her notoriety: it’s her unique style, undeniable talent and desire to better the hip hop world that sets her apart from the rest. Parris has created her own style of dance named ‘Polyswagg’, which she describes as ‘combining sassy woman fire with aggressive inner strength’. For the very British of us this definition can seem a little cringe-y, however when you hear Parris’ thoughts behind it, her style and ethos becomes far clearer. She recently stated in ELLE magazine that she believes that women “are always overlooked and underrated” in the dance industry. She wants to encourage women to simply put themselves forward, put themselves first and not be afraid to shine and show what they can offer to the world.
It is this message which, for me, places Parris and her fellow friends who are paving the way in the dance world above the rest. It is their determination, drive and conviction in their dancing. You can see their hunger and how much it means to them when they are performing with the ‘Sorry’ music video being one prime example. She describes her style as living and breathing the music and this is unmistakably echoed in her choreography; even the dancers’ faces are engaged with the music. She also encourages her dancers to tell a story through their performances, and states that she herself has so much to tell. Parris stated that “you can be just another dancer or somebody that really makes a change”. It is this determination, desire to empower women and this undeniable commitment to her career that makes Parris influential and incredibly inspiring.
Parris has a lot going on at the moment. Aside from her international bookings with stars across the world, she’s also just worked on a set of new dance short films called ‘Purpose: the Movement’ with Justin Bieber to go along with his new album. She also single-handedly just choreographed a new dance feature film in New Zealand. So it seems there’s a lot more exciting things to come for this inspirational lady and we at HC can’t wait to see what’s next! And whilst we’re waiting for her next exciting project, we can take away from her that, no matter your age, you can achieve a great deal in a short time if you’re dedicated, inspired and are not afraid to shine.