New Zealand hip hop derives from the wider hip hop cultural movement originating amongst African Americans in the United States. Like the parent movement, New Zealand hip hop consists of four parts: rapping, DJing, graffiti art and breakdancing. The first element of hip hop to reach New Zealand was breakdancing, which gained notoriety after the release of the 1979 movie The Warriors. The first hip hop hit single, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, became a hit in New Zealand when it was released there in 1980, a year after it was released in the United States. By the middle of the 1980s, breakdancing and graffiti art were established in urban areas like Wellington and Christchurch. By the early 1990s, hip hop became a part of mainstream New Zealand culture.
Demetrius C. Savelio, better known by his stage name Savage, is a New Zealand hip hop recording artist, record producer and member of hip hop group the Deceptikonz. Savage was the first New Zealand hip hop artist to have a commercial single achieve platinum certification status in the United States. The "International Breakthrough" accolade of the Pacific Music Awards was created in his honour. Savage also has applied his recognisable voice in the electronic dance music space with 5× platinum hit ''Freaks'' with Timmy Trumpet, and 4 times platinum hit ''Swing'' with Joel Fletcher.
Brian L. Friedman is an American dancer and choreographer.
Cristan Lee Judd is a Filipino American dancer, actor, and choreographer known for his brief marriage to Jennifer Lopez.
Auckland Girls' Grammar School (AGGS) is a New Zealand secondary school for girls located in Newton, in the Auckland central business district. Established in 1878 as Auckland Girls' High School, it is one of the oldest secondary institutions in the country. The school closed its site temporarily in 1888 due to financial difficulties and classes for girls were held at Auckland Grammar School until the girls' school moved to new premises in Howe Street in 1909 and the name of the school changed to Auckland Girls' Grammar School. The school received the Goodman Fielder awards for School and Secondary School of the year in 2000.
Fatima Robinson is an American dancer, music video director and choreographer.
Barry Lather is an American creative director, choreographer, producer, and dancer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Los Angeles, California.
Antonia Christina Basilotta, better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her cover of the song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit the top ten in several other countries.
ReQuest Dance Crew are an all-female hip-hop dance crew from Auckland, New Zealand. ReQuest was formed in 2007, with originally five members. They are based out of The Palace Dance Studio in Penrose and are one of six crews alongside The Royal Family (MegaCrew), Kingsmen (Adult), Sorority (Varsity), Duchesses (Varsity) and Bubblegum (Junior).
"Ringa Linga" is a song recorded by South Korean singer Taeyang. It was released as a digital single on November 8, 2013, through YG Entertainment. Later, it became the first single to be released from his second studio album Rise (2014). It was written and composed by Big Bang bandmate G-Dragon and Shockbit.
Born to Dance is a 2015 New Zealand feature film. It was written by Steve Barr, Hone Kouka and Casey Whelan and marks the feature film directorial debut by Tammy Davis, best known for his role as Munter in Outrageous Fortune. The film premiered on 24 September 2015 in New Zealand. Born to Dance was choreographed by Parris Goebel.
Parris Renee Goebel, also known mononymously as Parris, is a New Zealand dancer and choreographer. She is the founder and main choreographer of the Palace Dance Studio, which has produced dance crews such as ReQuest, Sorority, Bubblegum, and the Royal Family. The last has won the World Hip Hop Dance Championship three times in a row, becoming the first dance crew in history to achieve it.
"Level Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ciara released on July 17, 2018, by Beauty Marks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Records. The single artwork was shot by Haley Blavka.
JaQuel Knight is an American choreographer and dancer. Born in North Carolina and raised in Atlanta, he has worked with Beyoncé on many of her most notable dances, including on "Single Ladies", "Formation" and the historic Coachella performances which she headlined.
Sean Bankhead is an American dancer and choreographer. He served as a judge on the American music competition series Becoming A Popstar.
Daniel Alexander Belton is a New Zealand dancer, choreographer and film-maker based in Dunedin. He is the co-founder and artistic director of Good Company Arts (GCA). He is an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate. His works have been shown in America, Europe, South America, Asia and the Pacific.
Taiaroa Royal is a New Zealand dancer and choreographer. Royal co-founded the contemporary Māori dance company Okareka with Taane Mete. As a dancer he has performed with New Zealand companies the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Douglas Wright Dance Company, Atamiria and Black Grace. He has choregraphed contemporary dance and also music videos including for Evermore and Ardijah, and for the World of Wearable Art (WOW) in Wellington. He is a 2023 recipient of an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award.
Russell Ian Kerr was a New Zealand ballet dancer, choreographer, and producer. After spending the 1950s dancing in Europe, he returned to New Zealand where he was instrumental in the development of the New Zealand Ballet Company and ballet as an art form in New Zealand. He was recognised as one of New Zealand's most significant living artists in 2005 with an Icon Award from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.
Louise Mary Potiki Bryant is a New Zealand choreographer, dancer and video artist. She has choreographed a number of award-winning performances, and is a founding member of Atamira Dance Company. She designs, produces and edits videos of performances for music videos, dance films and video art installations. She was made an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate in 2019.
Samantha Winders, previously known as Samantha Sinclair, is a New Zealand netball international. She represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was a prominent member of the New Zealand team that won the 2021 Constellation Cup. She captained New Zealand for the third test against England during the 2021 Taini Jamison Trophy Series. She was subsequently named the 2021 Silver Fern Player of the Year. Between 2014 and 2022, she played for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, initially in the ANZ Championship and later in the ANZ Premiership. Between 2020 and 2022, she served as Magic captain.
