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.
Many Maori and Pacific Islander families who live here have endured generations of poverty.
But on the inside, South Auckland has a rich artistic spirit and a lot of young people dreaming very big.
They're not just hopeful, these artists mean business and can see a clear path to careers on stage with some of the biggest names in music.
Their art form is dance.
Sifila Hafoka and her twin sister Lose have very specific plans for themselves — to be backup dancers on the global stage.
"We're from the south side. South Auckland is tough," Sifila said.
"My mum is a single mum … we're just trying to make our dreams come true. We're just trying to make her proud to give back to her.
"In South Auckland, they are the biggest dreamers. They dream big and they work hard."
Hopes here are high because Auckland export Parris Goebel has already blazed the trail.
Goebel is one of the most sought after choreographers in the world at the moment, directing shows and videos for Rihanna, J Lo and Justin Beiber among many other major names.
Her hip hop routines have won world championships and been viewed billions of times over on YouTube.
Goebel is now based in Los Angeles, but she grew up in Auckland and still has deep roots here.
Her father Brett runs her dance school, The Palace, and its Royal Family dance crew have been on their first national tour of New Zealand, selling out every show.
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.
Sifila and Lose hope these steps on stage in the Royal Family are the first of many.
"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.
"Because Parris [and the team] are building you to that goal."
The 18-year-old twins say The Royal Family is built around dance and discipline. They've learnt about performance, but also how to be professionals.
"They taught me not only dance skills. They taught me about being productive and to be on time. It's game on," Sifila said.
"They push us to be our best."
At rehearsals for the first show of the tour, the dancers are coached by senior Royal Family dancers.
Goebel is in LA, but Sifila and Lose are acutely aware they will be performing her work, including some of the routines that helped put the dance school on the map.
"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.
"We learnt it from her that there's a time to muck around, but there's a time to be serious."
Changing the game
When Justin Beiber released his 2015 album Purpose, many music fans were suddenly asking themselves, 'hang on, am I a Belieber?'
The tween idol had grown up and was trying something very new, and as history proved, very entertaining.
The second track released from the album was Sorry, but Beiber didn't appear in the music video at all.
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.
Cullen Neale, 20, is home in Auckland now, but was in the United States and the 2020 Fenty show, along with several other Royal Family dancers.
"Just to have that representation from Parris herself and then from the Royal Family stretching all the way to us … shows it's possible for New Zealand, it shows it's possible for kids from Auckland," he said.
"Because she's doing it, so she's letting us do it as well. Years ago, this pathway didn't exist."
During rehearsals, Cullen is on the microphone, directing dancers to stop, reset, start — running the routines until everyone is happy.
Goebel is known for her work ethic and single-minded focus on the creative process.
She's supremely talented and has that star power, but isn't fazed by it in others. Her dad says that's part of what attracts celebrities to her, "she is not overwhelmed by them".
"She is a perfectionist. She will just continue to do things until it's perfect, how she wants it or how she envisages it," Brett told the ABC.
"She has a saying: 'Passion never has a day off', and that's the truth. She's relentless."
Cullen says Goebel thinks like no-one else.
"She pushes everyone around her to do their best. She really pushes the limits and does that herself so well," he said.
"She does what no-one else can do.
"When Sorry took off, it changed the whole game of music videos."
Growing up in 'Rewa'
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.
Dancers here are pushing the limits, trying new styles and reinventing old ones.
"The style in South Auckland is so raw, you can't see it anywhere else," Lose said.
"I feel like it is a following. It's contagious in a way.
"When you see someone do a new style, you want to try it too."
Lose and Sifila are twins in a family of six. Their mum raised them on her own and the Royal Family has become a second home.
They have a lot of people around them who they want to make proud, but their dance is also very personal.
"I know how to move in my own way and show my own story. Show my feelings through dance," Lose said.
In the South Auckland suburb of Manurewa, nearly 40 per cent of residents are of Pacific Island descent.
Sifila and Lose are of Tongan descent and went to Manurewa High. That's where they got their start in hip hop dancing and where they got their first taste of fame.
A routine based on the cult classic Fresh Prince of Bel Air went viral, earning them a place at an international hip hop competition and a tip of the hat from Will Smith.
Lose said it really mattered to her that Manurewa was recognised on the world stage.
"Everyone always thinks 'Rewa is such a bad school," she said.
"The most important thing about going viral was that it was South Auckland … to be able to show that we can dance, that's there's something we're good at."
The twins want to become professional back-up dancers. They want to dance for celebrities, keep touring, create art and tell their story.
They get emotional talking about their plans for the future, humbled in their belief they're on the right path.
"Being in the Royal Family, I am so grateful," Lose said.
"When I wear gear that is RF, I’m not wearing it as a fan anymore, I’m wearing it as a crew member.
"It feels cool to be in a crew."