Auckland's Royal Family Dance Crew is making waves globally with their unique blend of culture, confidence, and energy. Founded by Parris Goebel, the crew has performed alongside top artists like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga. New-Zealand-born-Samoan Donald Ah-Loo, who has been with the crew for nine years, said performing internationally is about more than dance. "Royal Family has always been an outlet for us, Pasifika and Māori youth, to really showcase our talents... and fulfilling our ancestors' biggest dreams as well, you know, performing on major stages with major artists," he told RNZ. The 21-year-old most recently danced with Latina pop-star Karol G on the main stage of Coachella in California. "It was also my first time performing on such a big platform like that, so being able to just represent not only myself, but where I come from, my culture as well, has been amazing. So I think that experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity." The crew's influence stretches beyond New Zealand, garnering billions of views across social media and music videos online. Auckland's Royal Family Dance Crew is currently touring Australia, with performances in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne where they are headliners at the winter arts and culture festival, Rising. Ah-Loo says opportunities like performing at Rising are important - not only for the crew but also for the community. "We train long hours (up to six hours a day); we work really hard to ensure that our legacy is still being upheld... I think just whatever we do, we hold our heads up high. We know that we're performing for our families and for our culture, so it pushes us to dance better and to be more focused when we're on jobs and just try to be as professional as we can be in any type of media," he said. The professional dancers hope their journey encourages the next generation to put in the work to pursue their passions and "be proud of who they are".