From the outside, South Auckland may seem like a tough place to grow up. The community faces a complex series of hardships — each compounding the next.But on the inside, South Auckland has a rich artistic spirit and a lot of young people dreaming very big.
The pandemic has meant not all of the adult dancers could get home to New Zealand and that has created an opportunity for the younger 'varsity' crew to level up."I reckon Royal Family is the closest thing for anyone who wants to dream big. This is the first step you've got to go to," Sifila said.The Royal Family has been on its first national tour of New Zealand, selling out shows across the north and south islands.
"When we're in dance mode, it's like a switch. She has a different personality … it's serious. She wants to get stuff done. I want to be like that," Sifila said.Changing the game The clip was filmed in a warehouse in Auckland and was 3.5 minutes of Goebel and the Royal Family Dance crew dancing against a white background. It has been viewed 3.4 billion times on YouTube.Goebel has gone on to choreograph and direct some of the biggest shows and music videos, including Rihanna's Savage Fenty shows and J Lo and Shakira's Superbowl performance in 2020.
"She pushes everyone around her to do their best. She really pushes the limits and does that herself so well," he said."When Sorry took off, it changed the whole game of music videos."Among the rich Polynesian cultures in New Zealand, hip hop music and dance are important forms of expression and young people here have a lot to say."The style in South Auckland is so raw, you can't see it anywhere else," Lose said.
Nope, not either. Who wants to watch four hours of tedium?
This is a great story. I even had to watch a Bieber video who would I have thought. It’s amazing you can shoot a video for a music star and that hard work gets you there
Like the vast majority of Aussies, I've never watched the Superbowl