Hip hop-eration (Bryn Evans, 2014): New Zealand

Reviewed by Mina Gilbertsson. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2015.

Hip hop-eration is an amusing documentary about a group of seniors who participates in the World Hip Hop Dance Championship. Terri Wool-Moore Goodwin (93 years old), Kara Nelson (94 years old) and Maynie Thompson (95 years old) are only a selection of member of the Hip hop-eration crew that the audience gets to know in the film.

The senior citizen lives on the small Waiheke Island in New Zealand. There is rarly anything exciting happening on the island which motivated manager Billie Jordan to register her seniors to the dance competition. When they heard the news laughter spread across the room yet everyone was determined to try it out.

The Hip Hop-eration crewmembers spoke about their previous life experiences and most of them told the audience the same thing – if you want to do it, you should go for it. Their mission with the competition was to have fun and prove to the younger generation that anything is possible.

The first competition was pre-game to the Las Vegas performance. Backstage they met another younger dance crew who supported them throughout their journey to Las Vegas. After the first competition, Billie wanders around in the room waiting for the judges to call her to determine wheather they are through or not. When they finally do call and tell her that they have made it, she cries out, and when she told the crew they laughed with surprised faces. Unfortunately, not everyone could travel to Las Vegas due to medical conditions.

Hip Hop-eration is not only a feel good, comedic film. It is also very unintentionally inspirational. It might sound strange that 80-90 year old’s can inspire the younger generation but if they can dance Hip Hop, you can do whatever you put your mind to.


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