Choreographer on the 'Savage X Fenty Show'

Parris Renee Goebel | Biography

Featured as Violet in the 2014 dance film 'Step Up All In'

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : April 03, 2022

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Parris Goebel is a New Zealand-born choreographer best recognized for her work on the Savage X Fenty Show. She is also famous for her work in Justin Bieber’s 2015 music video for ‘Sorry.’

Who is Parris Renee Goebel?

Parris Renee Goebel, in short, Parris Goebel is a hip-hop dancer and choreographer, but she calls herself an artist, a free spirit, a creative, and a muse. 

She understood her passion at a young age

Goebel was born on 29 October 1991 in Auckland, New Zealand, and she is of Samoan descent. She was raised by her parents, LeeAnn and Brett Goebel, with her three older siblings.

Passionate about performing and creating from a young age, she attempted every dance genre before stumbling into hip-hop at the age of ten. She started taking dance classes within a year and quickly sharpened her skills. 

At age 15, Goebel formed her own all-girl hip-hop dance crew called ReQuest with her four friends and served as the lead choreographer for her crew. She initially practiced with her crew in her aunt’s garage and then moved to her father’s warehouse.

After about a year of rehearsals, the crew competed in the Monsters of Hip Hop Dance Convention in the United States in 2008. Goebel was chosen to dance in the finale of the event. 

After the convention, she dropped out of Auckland Girls Grammar School to become a full-time dancer. She then began performing with her crew in the concerts. She also started posting her crew’s dance videos on YouTube in June 2008. 

The crew later won World Hip Hop Dance Championships in 2009 and 2010. She also created the hip-hop style called Polyswagg, inspired by her Polynesian heritage.

She was discovered by Jennifer Lopez

In 2012, Jennifer Lopez, aka J-Lo, discovered Goebel’s talent on YouTube and asked her to choreograph for her tour. From there, Goebel's career took off and never stopped.

She has worked for many other celebrities, including Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Rihana, and Justin Bieber.

Goebel oversaw Bieber’s 2015 album Purpose: The Movement and choreographed the different dance sequences featured in the album’s music videos. She also produced Bieber’s 2020 song 'Yummy.'

Furthermore, Goebel was featured as Violet in the 2014 dance film Step Up All In, alongside Ryan Guzman and Briana Evigan.

She has been a choreographer for the ‘Savage X Fenty Show’

Goebel has been choreographing for the Amazon Original TV special Savage X Fenty Show since 2019. 

Besides musical performances, the TV special features the annual fashion show for Rihana’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty. The first installment of the TV special premiered on 20 September 2019. Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 was released on 2 October 2020, and the Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 premiered on 24 September 2021. 

Speaking about the show and her experience working on the show with Modern Luxury in 2021, Goebel said, “Each year, the show gets better and better. It’s amazing working with Rih because she pushes me in so many different ways, not only as a creative, but as a woman and a storyteller.”

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She has choreographed for BlackPink

In 2016, Goebel choreographed a South Korean girl group BlackPink for their pre-debut dance practice video. BlackPink posted the video on YouTube on 6 July 2016 before the group officially debuted on 8 August 2016.

In addition to BlackPink, Goebel choreographed other K-pop groups and artists like BigBang, Taeyang, CL, 2NE1, and 4Minute.