At 70, the doyenne of Montreal’s techno scene doesn’t plan to stop dancing

We nickname her Grandma Rave or the Queen of Dancefloor. At 70, Solange Caillé goes out every weekend to nightclubs and electronic music festivals in Montreal. Even if his passion costs him dearly, it gives him a new lease of life.

Sunday afternoon. Solange Caillé is preparing to go party at the last Piknic Electronik of the season, where she will meet many familiar faces.

“It must be said that I am a legend. The oldest raver in Montreal is me,” says the former social worker and psychotherapist.

After working hard “like a workaholic” for 32 years, this mother of three found a taste for partying again at the age of 53, when a friend took her to Stéréo, a legendary nightclub in Montreal .

“It was a shock, all those lasers,” recalls the jazz lover who knew how to tame techno, a “very mathematical” music.

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Enjoy life

Today, despite two lung cancers and warnings from her doctors and her brother, she goes out from Thursday to Sunday, summer and winter.

“I don’t plan to live to be 85. It’s happening now,” she says.

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An inspiration for many

Arriving at Jean-Drapeau Park, where Piknic Électronik takes place, she meets friends… or rather acquaintances. By being approached so often, she can’t remember everyone’s first name.

“It’s still special that I’m accepted so much, but people tell me that if you close your eyes, you don’t know that I’m so old, because I have a very young mentality apparently,” confides the septuagenarian.

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Bobby Henderson met Solange Caillé 15 years ago.

“She is a cheerful woman, always there to dance and have fun. She’s part of the family,” he said.

“Every time I see her dance, she inspires me. I hope to be like her when I grow up,” admits Ivonne Martinez, 30 years old.

For Grandma Rave, do it party every weekend is a way to stay young, at least in your head.

Except that this passion for partying costs him dearly: almost $600 per month. She therefore hopes to find a job this winter to continue going out as much as she wants.

“If I stop dancing, I die,” she insists.