Grandma Techno Is a 72-Year-Old Dance Music Badass

It’s likely that 72-year-old Patricia Lay-Dorsey, known to most as “Grandma Techno,” goes out more than most partiers a third her age. She has been a regular at Detroit’s Movement festival since 2005. And although multiple sclerosis has left her unable to walk, she traveled to the festival—and to far-flung places including Lebanon—by herself, with her motorized scooter.

She earned her nickname at Movement while making her way through the crowd on her scooter. “Grandma Techno wants to get through,” a person in the crowd yelled. “Let her through!”

With that, a scene star was born.

In 2012, videographer Clarence Johnson captured Lay-Dorsey’s Movement experience in the documentary They Call Me Grandma Techno. The video went viral, and she has since become as much a part of Movement as the techno DJs that she so loves (her favorites artists include Claude VonStroke and John Digweed). Grandma Techno also loves photography, and in 2013 her self-portrait book, Falling Into Place, was published by Fotogallery in Wales, UK. It chronicles her day-to-day life as a person with a disability. Another book is currently in the works.

We spoke with Grandma Techno about her life in and beyond the scene. Read the Q&A, and then click to the next page for her 20 favorite shots from Movement, along with her thoughts on each one.

What’s your strategy when it comes to shooting pictures?
My whole thing is getting the inside story with people. When I’m at Movement, I am the inside story. I’m right in the middle of the action. I’ll shoot for as long as I need to in order to get a bunch of different choices. My eye is always peeled to see if there’s something interesting going on.

How has your experience changed since They Call Me Grandma Techno went viral?
The video went viral a couple of weeks before Movement 2014. Paxahau, the festival producers, asked me if they could share it on Facebook, and if I minded going that public with it.I didn’t know what they meant until I got to the festival, because it was more than just being known—I had become a celebrity. Everyone knew who I was, which made it really hard for me to take pictures because I was constantly surrounded by people. I didn’t mind. The people were so heartfelt and sincere, I couldn’t turn them off.

The one downside is that I couldn’t do much dancing, which is terrible because I love to dance. I did the best I could to take pictures, but it’s just a different festival for me now. Now I understand why DJs hide backstage: because the minute they go into the public, they get mobbed. Thankfully, I was part of the Paxahau photo team, which meant I could go backstage every so often to take a break from the crowds. Then, it got to the point where the DJs were coming up to me too. That’s the thing about going viral—it can be tricky.

On your website, it says that you’ve been an artist for quite a while. What other work do you do?
I was working with kids at an inner city hospital in the mid-‘70s when I discovered I had some artistic talent. I’ve done everything from drawings to life portraits to sculptures to mixed media. I get funkier the older I get, and I’m weirder now than I’ve ever been; I love it. In the mid-‘80s, I started doing mask performance work in silence. It was really abstract and very wonderfully odd; I loved it.

In 1996, I started living a couple of months of the year in San Francisco, working with women communities, doing peace activism and making my art. In 2000, I started an online journal on my website with pictures (there weren’t blogs yet). I was obsessive. I made an entry on my blog every day for six years straight. After six years, I started getting tired of words, and all I wanted to do was take pictures. I got myself a good camera, but I knew nothing about photography. So I took a few classes to learn about the fundamentals, and I’ve been obsessed ever since.

What are your favorite memories from attending the Movement festival?
I live only in the present; I don’t live in the past. So I’m apt to forget what has happened in my life unless someone reminds me. I do remember one time I was backstage, and there was a fabulous DJ from Italy, and his name starts with a B…

Benny Benassi?
Yes! He was performing onstage while I was backstage, taking pictures and just loving it. He turned around and looked at me and just forgot about that audience and sang right to me. It was so sweet.

Another special moment was when someone asked to interview me about They Call Me Grandma Techno. It turns out the next person they were interviewing was Claude VonStroke, so I sat there and listened to his interview; and then he and I talked, and he was such a sweet guy. I think all of us think somebody like him would never be nervous, but he was. When I asked him why, he said, “Because I’m trying something brand-new tonight. I’ve never tried it before, and I don’t know if anybody’s going to get it. I’m uncomfortable and I’m nervous about it.” It was so human. I was very touched by that.

Grandma Techno Shares Her Favorite Shots From Movement Detroit

She’s always at the festival, dressed up and wearing wonderful makeup. She was a butterfly that year, and you can see all the kandi on her arm; she’s very special to me.

Out of the five stages we have at Movement, the Made in Detroit one pictured here is my favorite. Being the home of techno, Detroit has many incredible DJs. Though they might not live here anymore, they definitely made it in Detroit.

This was a performance by Claude VonStroke, who’s one of my favorites. I also love John Digweed, and I’m crazy about Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin and Derrick May.

Being Detroit, we have a lot of good breakdancing going on. I just happened to run across this at our underground stage. The lighting guy was doing amazing lighting where this spontaneous circle of dancers set up.

This is also the underground stage. If it’s raining, this is where everyone gathers. Take it from me: It can, and it often does, get wild.

Movement is at this marvelous plaza on the Detroit River in downtown called Hart Plaza, and the stages are right in the middle of it. I caught these people playing with lights at the plaza and thought it was fun.

I take a lot of costume pictures, so it’s hard to choose a favorite; but I have always liked these guys. They really capture the Movement ambience. It’s energetic and mellow all at the same time, with a real comfortable, down-home kind of feeling.

This was at the mainstage, which is an amphitheater. The seats were filled and so was the dancing area. It can get pretty packed down there and of course the sound is fabulous.

I hung out with these people for quite a while, they were such a kick. Everyone was showing off to each other, doing turns, getting in the middle, doing their thing. It was fun.

This was at the Made In Detroit stage. These girls were unreal, they just didn’t stop. I must have taken 60-70 pictures of them, they were so great.

I just loved this woman. She was so beautiful. This is at another one of the stages right over beside the Detroit River.

Every year we see more and more children coming to Movement. It’s important to have them wear earplugs to protect their hearing.

This is a Labor Statue that’s a big circle. This guy is always there and he’s a fabulous dancer and breakdancer.

This is one of my favorite moments. These two connected- the girl was there with her mom and dad and older sister and younger brother. This fellow sidled up next to her and she started dancing. I have about 80 pictures of the whole encounter.

These folks always come dressed up in different costumes every year.

This was at the mainstage amphitheater. It was a rainy day and I just thought this girl looked so cool.

This is one of my favorite pictures. It was right as the sun was getting that golden hue. There was so much going on with all these different things happening, I love it.

This was at the mainstage at Movement 2014. Everyone was packed into the amphitheatre and the surrounding perimeter. The sound system and the TV screens broadcasted out to the plaza, so people were watching from there as well.

This is one of the mini spontaneous circles of dancers that develop, which happens all the time because there are so many good dancers. Detroit is a dancin’ city, for sure.

I just love this guy. He’s so totally blissed out. He looks the way I feel every minute I’m at the festival. Heck, I get blissed out just thinking about Movement 2015!

For more info on Grandma Techno’s work, check out her website.