New Zealand Home to the World’s Oldest Dance Troupe

New Zealand Home to the World’s Oldest Dance Troupe

Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records have announced the Oldest Dance Troupe in the World is The Hip Op-eration Crew. The hip hop mega crew consists of 23 senior citizens aged 67 to 95 years old from Waiheke Island.

The Hip Op-eration Crew has wowed audiences all over the world since they were first established as a hip hop dance group in January 2013.

The group has competed in the NZ National Hip Hop Championships twice and did two tribute performances at the World Hip Hop Championships in Las Vegas in August 2013.

With over 20 public performances under their belt so far, the mega crew are far from retiring.

“We are performing at the World Supremacy Battlegrounds in June and then have some other really cool performances planned.

“People thought we were quite an oddity when we started out because we were about 70 to 80 years older than all the other hip hop dancers around the world. But hip hop has become our life now. My homies and I are a really tight crew and hope we can keep dancing until we die; which isn’t far off for some of us,” says dance crew member Brenda Long (aka BB Rizzell) aged 80.

The Hip Op-eration Crew members include four people who use mobility aids, five members in their 90s, many people who are deaf, and one member who is legally blind. The average age is 80 and there are five men and 18 women in the Crew.

The Hip Op-eration Crew aims to reduce the stigma of aging through entertainment. A ‘behind the scenes’ feature documentary film about The Hip Op-eration Crew will be released in cinemas across New Zealand later in the year before having an international cinematic release.

The Hip Op-eration Crew have featured on BBC World, the front page of the Wall Street Journal, Australia’s premiere Sunday Night programme, Fox News, NZ’s Got Talent and other television networks, radio stations, magazines and newspapers all over the world.

Each member of the crew (called a homie within the crew) has a hip hop name such as Quick Silver (95), Kara Bang Bang (94), Shake it up Sheila (81), Dollar 91(91), Terri 2 Cents (93), Tiny Tot (81), Snoop J (79), DD Bugz (67), BB Rizzell (80).

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