When Billie Jordan sits down to Skype she is joined by Maynie, 96 years young, and communicating through Skype for the very first time. Billie is the founder, manager and choreographer of the oldest dance group in the world. A hip hop dance group called The Hip Op-eration Crew, the 22 members, which includes Maynie, are aged 68 to 96 years old. The average age is 80.
When the Christchurch earthquake hit, Billie was in the City waiting in line to buy a sandwich. During those 20 seconds of terrifying tremors she decided right then and there that if she was to survive this disaster she would move to Waiheke Island, leave her corporate job behind, and start working towards a more meaningful life.
Billie had just bought a house three days earlier, and it wasn't damaged enough to claim, but instead considered repairable, the worst scenario where you can't live in the house but insurance won't repair it either. She had to sell and in doing so lost her life's savings.
"I didn't dwell on this, because I was just so happy to be alive," adds Billie. "It took five months of living in halfway houses before I made it to Waiheke. I noticed that the senior citizens were in the same position as me, isolated and alone. I decided to do something about it, and so I drove around the island in my van and asked random people if they wanted to join the world's eldest flash mob. The criteria was that you had to be 65 years and over, and have a pulse."
No one knew what a flash mob was, and some were worried it involved nudity. The first youtube video has so far clocked in more than 700 000 views. After the success of the flash mob Billie decided it was time to raise the bar and reach for the sky.
