As the host of this year’s American Music Awards (AMAs), Jennifer Lopez knew she had to start the show off with a bang.
Naturally, the singer and actress knew just who to call on for her big opening number – talented New Zealand choreographer Parris Goebel!
Backed by a crowd of dancers including five women from Parris’ champion ReQuest Dance Crew, Jennifer pulled off an awe-inspiring performance set to some of the biggest music hits from the past year, including ‘Hotline Bling’, ‘Anaconda’ and ‘Uptown Funk’.
Parris wrote about the amazing AMAs moment on Instagram afterwards, thanking Jennifer for the opportunity.
“She gave me my first big break in the industry and to meet up 3 years later to put this together. So grateful for the opportunity to choreograph this. All my love to my team,” Parris wrote.
The 23-year-old dancer and choreographer’s skills have been in high demand over the past few years, and Jennifer Lopez is just one of the A-list names on Parris’ roster of clients. She’s also choreographed for Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Korean pop stars Taeyang and CL, and directed, produced and choreographed the video for Justin Bieber’s song ‘Sorry’, which has racked up 167 million views on YouTube.
Watch: Parris Goebel choreographs Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’
Jennifer gained plenty of rave reviews for her high-energy dance opening, but a few eagle-eyed viewers did notice a small wardrobe malfunction that saw one unnamed backup dancer’s flesh-coloured underwear exposed after her costume split open.
However, the small hiccup didn’t stop the dancers from giving it their all, and the show went on to the cheers of the star-studded crowd.
One Direction were the big winners on the night, taking home the awards for Artist Of The Year (for the second year running) and Favourite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock.
Song of the Year went to Taylor Swift for ‘Blank Space’, while Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande won Favourite Male and Female Artist, respectively.
