With 1.2million Instagram followers, the full house at Hamer Hall to watch the Royal Family’s Defend the Throne was no surprise.
Local hip-hop crews Lighthouse and QCollective warmed up the electric crowd, so by the time Royal Family hit the stage, it was on fire.
The dancers were perfectly choreographed by Parris Goebal with precision, stunning costuming and story-telling take the audience to a new level of dance engagement. As we moved through, Royal Family High, Prince’s Purple Rain and Pacific inspired finale, dancers captivated, stimulated and challenged the audience, all the way to the standing ovation and encore.
“The Royal Family Dance Crew aren’t just cultural powerhouses, they’ve reshaped the global language of movement. Their work is fierce, precise and completely unfiltered,” said RISING Artistic Director and CEO Hannah Fox.
“It speaks to the energy we’re looking to bring to RISING in 2026, and our very first edition of the Australian Dance Biennial, a new pillar of the festival. To be presenting an artistic group whose impact is felt everywhere, from music videos to stadium stages, feels exactly right. Defend the Throne is going to hit Melbourne like a lightning bolt.”
Rooted in Polyswagg, the visceral street-dance style born from the fire of Aotearoa’s Polynesian youth, The Royal Family Dance Crew’s work is raw, instinctive and drenched in feeling. Parris’s approach is less about counting beats and more about charging through music as a family, tapping into intensity, rhythm and emotional spark. It’s a style that has clocked billions of views, dominated the global stage and redefined what a dance crew can be.
Go to https://2026.rising.melbourne/ for more