MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS

Billie Jordan

Founder of the World's Oldest Dance Crew, TEDx Speaker & Resilience Authority

Billie Jordan moved to Waiheke Island after surviving the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, then founded the Hip Op-eration Crew — the Guinness World Records' oldest dance group — and became one of New Zealand's most loved voices for resilience, purpose and challenging ageism.

Who is Billie Jordan?

Billie Jordan is a New Zealand motivational speaker, author, dance instructor and older-people's advocate. After narrowly surviving the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, she quit her corporate communications career and moved to Waiheke Island, where she taught herself to dance via YouTube and founded the Hip Op-eration Crew — a hip-hop troupe of senior citizens aged 65 to 96, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest dance group. She was the subject of the multi-award-winning documentary Hip Hop-eration, the rights to her life story have been bought by a Hollywood production company and she is a TEDx Auckland speaker. She has spoken at events in Scotland, Canada, Australia, Taiwan and across New Zealand.

Career Highlights

  • Founder of the Hip Op-eration Crew — Guinness World Records' oldest dance group

  • Star of the multi-award-winning feature documentary Hip Hop-eration

  • Life-story rights purchased by a Hollywood production company

  • Local Hero, NZ of the Year Awards (2015); NZ Woman of the Year (2016/17)

  • Queen's Honour recipient (2016)

  • TEDx Auckland speaker

  • Crew has performed in Las Vegas (Hip Hop International) and Taipei Arena (audience of 15,000+)

  • Survivor of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

Key Speaking Themes

  • Resilience and reinventing yourself after trauma

  • Challenging ageism and stereotypes about older adults

  • Purpose, meaning and big goals at any age

  • Leadership through adversity and managing diverse teams

  • Community, kindness and the importance of belonging

What Your Audience Will Gain

Billie has a relaxed, funny and deeply moving style. Audiences leave laughing and crying in equal measure, with a renewed sense of what's possible at any age and a clearer view of how purpose, community and a willingness to be brave can change everything.

Ideal For

  • Aged care, healthcare and retirement village events

  • Resilience, wellbeing and mental health conferences

  • Leadership and women in leadership events

  • Awards nights and gala dinners

  • Community, council and not-for-profit events

Frequently Asked Questions about Billie Jordan

What does Billie Jordan speak about? Resilience, ageism, purpose, leadership and the lessons learned from leading the world's oldest dance crew.

Where is Billie Jordan based? Billie is based on Waiheke Island, Auckland and travels nationally and internationally for speaking engagements.

What is Billie Jordan best known for? Founding the Hip Op-eration Crew, starring in the documentary Hip Hop-eration and challenging stereotypes about older adults.

Has Billie Jordan delivered a TED Talk? Yes — her TEDx Auckland talk on the world's oldest dance troupe is widely viewed online.

Is Billie Jordan suitable for corporate audiences? Yes. Billie is regularly booked by corporates including SkyCity, Sovereign Insurance and policing organisations.

Is Billie Jordan available internationally? Yes. Billie has spoken in Scotland, Canada, Australia, Taiwan and across the US.