Interview: Meet Māori Powerhouse Dancer and Choreographer Maddy Barnett
Since moving to the United States, Maddison has booked tours for artists including Karol G, Jolin Tsai, and BlackPink.
Maddison Barnett is a professional dancer based in Los Angeles but is born in New Zealand. During her three years in Los Angeles, she is currently a teacher at the renowned PlaygroundLA. Maddison started her career dancing for the Royal Family Dance Crew with Paris Goebel featuring in music videos such as “Sorry,” “Children,” and “What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber. “LOVE” by PSY and HHI 3x World Medalist and WORLD of Dance performer. Since moving to the United States, Maddison has booked tours for artists including Karol G, Jolin Tsai, and BlackPink. For her second world tour with BlackPink, Maddison has the opportunity of being dance captain.
Maddison has performed in award shows such as the VMAs, iHeart Radio Music Awards, MAMA Awards, and Academy Country Music Awards and festivals such as Coachella, Rock in Rio, and the NFK Kickoff. Maddison is featured in music videos for artists including Tinashe, Kun, Lisa, Justin Bieber, Anitta, Rema, and appeared in a Samsung commercial. She has danced for pop artists including J Balvin, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Katseye, Lainey Wilson, Karol G, XG, and David Guetta. Lastly, Maddison had the opportunity to perform in the 2023 Superbowl with Rihanna and the FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony with Lisa, Anitta, and Rema.
What first inspired you to pursue dance, and how did your journey begin?
I started dancing when I was six years old. My parents always played pop, R&B, and all types of music in the house, so I grew up surrounded by rhythm, groove and beats. From a very young age, I fell in love with dance and music. I grew up doing gymnastics, and I remember seeing a dance studio next door and begging my mom to let me take classes. When she enrolled me, I didn’t want to take jazz— I wanted to take hip hop. My passion eventually led me to train at Parris Goebel Studios, where I joined the internationally acclaimed dance group The Royal Family. As a team, we went on to win multiple world titles and establish ourselves among best in the country. I’ve always been extremely competitive, so after five years with Parris Goebel, I felt ready to pursue something bigger. I decided to embark on my own journey to as a freelance dancer, and I’ve been doing so ever since.
What was the transition from New Zealand to Los Angeles like for you, and how did you navigate building your career in a new environment?
One of my friends who also danced with Parris had moved to Los Angeles, and when I left the studio, she gave me advice on everything I needed to know about getting my visa and making the move to LA to pursue dance. At that point, I knew I didn’t want to compete anymore—I wanted to transition into backup dancing and perform onstage. I initially visited Los Angeles for three months on a visitor’s visa to make some connections experience the lifestyle. I was also considering moving to the UK, so I wanted to see where I felt best. After spending time in LA, I fell in love with it, and realized it was where I wanted to live. My partner was also living there, which was an added bonus. Thankfully, I already had a good understanding of the visa process, so from there, I focused on building connections and finding my way into the industry. One of my close friends, choreographer Kiel Tutin, was also moving to LA around the same time. It felt like the stars aligned, and it would be silly for me to not take the opportunity.
At what point were you interested in the teaching dance as a dance educator?
When I first moved to LA, I didn’t want to teach. I wanted to make sure I had established myself as a working, credible dancer
with enough experience to step into the role of a teacher. Since moving to LA, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some incredible projects. I booked the VMAs with J Balvin and performed with him for the NFL Kickoff in 2022. I hit the ground running with the Super Bowl, dancing for Rihanna in 2023, and went on to rehearse and tour with a number of international pop artists. In 2024, I was on tour with Karol G for almost a year. In the midst of all the craziness, in 2025 I decided to teach. I began with pop up classes here and there and eventually began teaching at Playground LA weekly. One of the challenges of beign a professional dancer is that even after booking an amazing opportunity, when you finish a job or tour, you never know what’s going to happen next. Teaching has been consistent in my schedule which has been quite nice, and has allowed me to share what I’ve learned throughout my career and connect with dancers across the world in a different way.
Looking back on your career so far, what have been some of your biggest highlights and meaningful moments?
The 2023 Super Bowl was a major milestone for me. I was still quite young and had only been living in LA for eight months. It was quite exciting. Another career highlight was the opportunity to be in a leadership position for the BlackPink world tour as dance captain. That experience allowed me to take on a lot of different roles within the movement and production side of things. This experience made me realize that I’m capable of being more than a dancer; I can be a leader. It was a huge moment for me, especially coming from a tiny country, to achieve a type of dream I didn’t know was possible.
What are you most excited about in the future, and what impact do you hope to make or inspire within the dance community?
As I continue to move into choreography and leadership positions, I want to create safe, positive, and happy working environments. I think too many rehearsal spaces are driven by fear, and I want to create spaces where dancers feel supported rather than intimidated. We already put enough pressure on ourselves; I don’t believe a choreographer should add to that. I’d like to continue working toward my professional goals while using my position to inspire positive change and create healthier environments within the dance industry.
Photography Credit: Alissa Rose, Alexito Pelaez
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Balanchine’s Apollo & Other Works Vancouver Playhouse (9/11-9/12) |