The Royal Family Dance Crew Presents 'Defend the Throne'
Global street-dance icons The Royal Family Dance Crew will headline RISING 2026 with 'Defend the Throne,' a high-energy showcase blending 14 years of their most iconic choreography with brand-new work premiering in Melbourne.
Overview
Global street-dance ambassadors The Royal Family Dance Crew are officially headed to Melbourne. RISING will announce the first major instalment of its 2026 program, a blockbuster all-ages showcase titled Defend the Throne, set to ignite Hamer Hall on Sunday June 7.
Led by visionary choreographer Parris Goebel, the New Zealand powerhouse has spent more than a decade shaping the visual language of modern pop culture. Their footprints are everywhere: from Justin Bieber's viral "Sorry" video, now sitting at over 4 billion views, to Rihanna's explosive Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, and the unforgettable J. Lo and Shakira Super Bowl LIV performance. In short, if you've watched any major pop moment in the last 10 years, you've seen Royal Family's influence.
Now, Melbourne audiences will get a rare chance to witness that legacy live. Defend the Throne brings together the crew's most iconic sets from the past 14 years, blending high-precision choreography, jaw-dropping synchronicity, and their signature fusion of hip hop, street dance, and storytelling. The production will also debut brand-new choreography created exclusively for its Melbourne premiere.
This announcement is not just a standalone highlight, it marks the first international reveal of the upcoming Australian Dance Biennial, a new platform that RISING will launch in 2026 to spotlight Australian dance alongside groundbreaking international work.
High-energy, all-ages, and undeniably iconic, Defend the Throne is expected to be one of the most anticipated dance events of the year.
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