Called Hip Op-eration, the group of retirement village residents from the small island of Waiheke off the east coast of New Zealand – average age 80 – hold the Guinness World Record for oldest dance troupe.
Between the seven members, the dancers have arthritis, kidney disease and dementia, one is legally blind and another deaf, but they aren’t letting it stand in their way.
Going global
Founded four years ago by manager and choreographer Billie Jordan as a flash mob, the group has since gone on to compete at the 2013 World Hip-Hop Championships, perform to an audience of 15,000 in Taiwan and going up against competitors 80 years their junior in the New Zealand National Hip Hop Championships three times.
Recently profiled on SBS’s Dateline program, their next stop is Japan, where they’ve been invited on an all-expenses paid trip to perform – now that’s growing old disgracefully.
You can watch the Dateline episode here or catch their most recent performance at the NZ Championships here.
