When you think of Paris, what comes to mind? We’re betting you thought of the city of romance and patisserie’s. Here at Voir, we think of Parris Goebel, dancer, model, choreographer, icon.
Image by Mario Sorrenti
You might not know her name yet, but you’ve seen her work. If the J Lo X Shakira Super Bowl halftime show doesn’t ring any bells, then maybe you remember the iconic ‘Yummy’ music video by Justin Bieber; or maybe it’s the Savage x Fenty shows that sound familiar to you. Watching them, you might’ve wondered who the person behind those daring dance moves was. The answer, Parris.
Image by Parris Goebel via YouTube
Some people are born with a purpose; after watching Missy Elliot and Madonna dancing on TV, 5-year-old Goebel discovered hers, dance. ‘I’ve always been pretty confident in my dreams and where I see my future heading, so it didn’t take me very long to identify what I wanted to be when I grew up.’ she said in a 2017 interview. The New Zealand native dropped out of high school at just 15 to pursue her calling, forming a dance crew, Royal Family, and uploading herself on Youtube.
Her small troupe went on to win the World Hip Hop Dance Championship an unprecedented three times in a row.
After having worked with KPOP star CL in 2016, she popped up on Jennifer Lopez’s radar, which led to Parris choreographing Lopez’s world tour at just 19 years old. Her signature sassy and aggressive dance style (‘polyswagg’) broke the rising star into the industry as celebrities followed J Lo’s cue. Now, the 28-year-old has Ariana Grande, SZA, BLACKPINK, Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Bieber on her roster. Oh yeah, and Justin’s iconic ‘Sorry’ music video a.k.a. one of the most viewed videos on Youtube? She choreographed that too. As if that wasn’t enough, she was also behind Rihanna’s iconic Super Bowl half time show this year.
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After spending so much of her career as the industry’s best-kept backstage secret, Parris is finally stepping into the spotlight. She signed with IMG Models in 2018 and has since worked with giants like Dior and Alexander McQueen. She ‘polyswagged’ her way through a New York Fashion Week 2022 and became the face of UGG’s Spring campaign that same year. The star also recently co-hosted the NIKE Goddess experience after becoming a brand ambassador two years ago. And fashion’s not the only place Goebler’s leaving her mark: she’s released one music album, two books, choreographed two dance cult movies ( StepUp: All In), and received the New Zealand Order of Merit, and an EMMY
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But Parris didn’t start as an Emmy and MTV award-winning artist. She, like a lot of us, started with an impossible dream, wild determination, and unsupervised access to the Internet. In a recent Instagram post, Goebel’s wrote ‘As you climb the mountain of your dreams, you will be greatly challenged…but your passion, strength and LOVE for what you do will override anything standing in your way.’ And that she did. With a career like this, there’s no doubt she’s the newest MVP in the entertainment world (and all our FYPs). Wherever she goes next, one thing’s for certain: Parris is living up to her name.
Words by Alexia De Las Heras
Header Image by Apela Bell
