Waiheke Island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf is known for its creative flair – but a group of pensioners are taking that creativity to a whole new level.
They’re taking on the hip hop world and they’ve got the bright lights of Las Vegas in their sights.
Dubbed the “Hip Op-eration Crew”, the group ranges in age from a sprightly 66 to almost a century in age.
Organiser Billie Jordan first formed the group to do flash mobs, and sourced her talent by driving the streets of Waiheke in search of white hair.
“I had a couple of criteria,” she says. “They had to be 65 or older, and they had to have a pulse.”
And so passionate are the group of 45, they meet once a week at a local hall to practice their moves.
“I thought they would hate this movement where they grab their crotch,” says Ms Jordan. “[But] they couldn’t wait to grab their own crotches.
“I think they feel like it’s sort of rebellious.”
Most of them had never heard of hip hop before but now, they’re aiming for Las Vegas.
The group will perform in the Auckland Regional Hip-Hop Championships in March, against reigning world champs The Royal Family, from South Auckland.
If the Hip-operation Crew win, they’ll be off to Sin City.
3 News