“I do not fit the stereotype of an elderly person. I don’t see a reason why my age should determine my life norms,” Wika, a former special education teacher, told Reuters. Warsaw – Donning yellow trousers, shiny platform shoes, red lipstick and headphones, 80-year-old “DJ Wika” stands behind the decks, mixing party music in a huge Warsaw club.
Instead of babysitting grandchildren, Poland’s oldest DJ Wirginia Szmyt packs her CDs, mixer and laptop, and heads off to spin for a packed dance floor of mainly senior citizens.
“I used to work with young people and I kept this youthful outlook and youthful expectations … My message to youths is that your life does not end when you are 70. They would say ‘Miss Wika we are already 40, we are so old’. And I am twice as old as you and … I am not old, by no means.”
“I don’t care if someone likes it or not that I am dancing or jumping behind the console, because I cannot play and stay still,” said Wika, raising her hands to clap with her audience. “When I play, I feel the melody, I feel the rhythm.”
Aware of the rejuvenating quality of music for the mind and body, the self-trained Wika has been DJ-ing for Polish retirees for two decades, earning widespread respect in the trade.
Every Monday night, she entertains about 1 000 people at the Hula Kula club, smashing stereotypes and empowering seniors as she plays everything from disco and rock to samba and ballads.
